This gene encodes a Ser/Thr protein kinase that interacts with, and is activated by ERK1 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases, and thus may play a role in the response to environmental stress and cytokines. This kinase may also regulate transcription by phosphorylating eIF4E via interaction with the C-terminal region of eIF4G. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been noted for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jan 2012]
Forensic Context
A study in humans identified the MKNK1 as one of the top 10 hub genes in a sepsis-related co-expression network [Jiang et al. DOI:10.1038/s41435-024-00293-4]. Another human study investigating cardiovascular disease progression identified a long non-coding RNA, MKNK1-AS1, which is co-expressed with IL1R2 and may play a crucial role in the development of acute myocardial infarction, myocardial fibrosis, and heart failure [Wang et al. DOI:10.3389/fcvm.2021.664044].