| Symbol |
CDK11 |
| Full Name |
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 11A/11B |
| Chromosome |
1p36.21 (CDK11A), 1p36.21 (CDK11B) |
| NCBI Gene |
8812 (CDK11A), 983 (CDK11B) |
| Ensembl |
ENSG00000049245 |
| UniProt |
Q9UQ88 |
| Diseases |
Neuroblastoma, Lung Cancer, Various Cancers |
| Expression |
Brain, Testis, Lung, Ubiquitous |
CDK11 encodes a member of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) family that includes two highly similar isoforms: CDK11A and CDK11B. These serine/threonine kinases are involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, RNA processing, and have specific functions in neuronal development and differentiation.
CDK11 is unique among CDKs in that it is expressed from two genes (CDK11A and CDK11B) that produce identical kinases. CDK11 functions at multiple stages of the cell cycle:
- G2/M transition — CDK11 activity is required for entry into mitosis
- Spindle assembly — regulates microtubule organization during cell division
- Cell survival — anti-apoptotic functions through phosphorylation of Bcl-2 family proteins
In neurons, CDK11 plays important roles in:
- Neurite outgrowth — regulates axonal and dendritic development
- Synapse formation — involvement in presynaptic differentiation
- Neuroprotection — phosphorylation of survival pathways
CDK11 also phosphorylates components of the:
- Spliceosome — regulates alternative splicing
- RNA polymerase II — modulates transcription elongation
- RNA processing factors — affects mRNA maturation
While not directly a neurodegenerative disease gene, CDK11 dysregulation is seen in:
- Neuroblastoma — childhood neural crest tumor
- Lung cancer — overexpression in aggressive subtypes
- Various carcinomas — associated with poor prognosis
The cell cycle and RNA processing functions of CDK11 have implications for:
- Alzheimer's disease — cell cycle re-entry in neurons
- ALS — RNA processing defects
- Huntington's disease — transcriptional dysregulation
- Maratou et al., CDK11 in cell cycle regulation (2004)
- Chi et al., CDK11 and neuronal development (2008)
- Guo et al., CDK11 in cancer biology (2010)
- CDC2-like kinases: emerging roles in neuronal function (2020)
- CDK11 in cell cycle and cancer (2019)
- CDK11 and RNA processing in neurons (2021)