NCK Adaptor Protein 1, also known as non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase adaptor protein 1, is a crucial component in cellular signaling pathways. This protein is encoded by the NCK1 gene and is involved in transducing signals from receptor tyrosine kinases to downstream signal recipients such as RAS .
NCK1 is characterized by its modular structure, consisting of one Src homology 2 (SH2) domain and three Src homology 3 (SH3) domains . These domains facilitate the protein’s role as an adaptor, linking receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases to the actin cytoskeleton machinery. This connection is vital for the regulation of actin reorganization, which is essential for various cellular processes including cell migration, polarization, and immune responses .
NCK1 plays a pivotal role in several cellular processes:
The NCK family comprises two members: NCK1 and NCK2. These proteins share 68% identity at the amino acid level and are functionally redundant in many aspects . However, they also exhibit unique functions in certain cellular contexts. For instance, NCK2 has been shown to exclusively regulate actin polymerization in response to platelet-derived growth factor and epidermal growth factor in specific cell types .