Investigating the Role of Homeodomain-Interacting Protein Kinase in Caenorhabditis elegans (#204)
Proteins of the Homeodomain-Interacting Protein Kinase (HIPK) family regulate an array of processes in mammalian systems, such as the DNA damage response, cellular proliferation and apoptosis (D'Orazi et al., 2002, Hofmann et al., 2002). Members of this protein family are serine/threonine kinases that are predominantly localised to the nucleus. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans expresses a single HIPK protein, called HPK-1, which is broadly expressed and, like its mammalian counterparts, is localised to nuclear speckles, suggesting that it may be involved in analogous cellular processes. We have previously shown that HPK-1 is required for the promotion of germline proliferation during nematode development and into adulthood (Berber et al., 2013).
Interestingly, HPK-1 was also reported as one of the proteins necessary for the extended lifespan of worm strains carrying a mutation in the gene encoding the insulin receptor daf-2 (Samuelson et al., 2007). To expand on this observation, phenotypic analyses have been conducted on a worm strain carrying a deletion mutation within hpk-1, focusing on the tissue-specificity and molecular mechanisms by which HPK-1 may regulate various cellular processes, including ageing. The role of HPK-1 in stress responses is also being investigated, as observations of animals carrying a fosmid-based fluorescent reporter indicated that HPK-1 is induced under conditions of heat stress (Berber et al., 2013).