| Description | The open reading frame encodes a 303 amino acid protein with an estimated molecular weight of 33.7 kDa. CDK4 is member of the Ser-Thr protein kinase family and its catalytic domain extends from amino acid 6 to 295. |
| Expression | CDK4 is expressed in a variety of normal cells and tissues as well as in cancer cells. The protein is often overexpressed in human tumors (e.g. malignant melanoma, glioma, sarcoma and carcinomas of the breast, colon, lung, ovary and oral cavity). |
| Localisation | Nuclear or nuclear/cytoplasmic |
| Function | CDK4 constitutes the catalytic subunit of a heterodimeric Ser/Thr protein kinase which is involved in controlling progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The activating partner of CDK4 (the regulatory subunit) is one of the D-type cyclins: CCND1, CCND2 or CCND3. Once activated, the CDK4-cyclin D complex phosphorylates members of the retinoblastoma protein family ( pRb, p107, p130). The activity of CDK4 is inhibited by the p16 (INK4A) protein, which interferes with the cyclin D-binding region. |
| Homology | CDK4 belongs to the mammalian Cdk family, which includes about 20 members. The cyclin-binding domain of CDK4 has the amino acid sequence PISTVRE. The overall identity of CDK4 to CDK1 is 42%. |
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