MELK Kinase Enzyme System

The Kinase Enzyme Systems include a recombinant kinase enzyme, a substrate appropriate for the enzyme, a reaction buffer and supplemental reagents as needed. The MELK Kinase Enzyme System contains:

• MELK Kinase, 10μg (Human, recombinant; amino acids 1–340). MW: ~61kDa.
• ZIPtide (KKLNRTLSFAEPG) Substrate.
• Reaction Buffer, DTT.

Recombinant human MELK (1–340) was expressed by baculovirus in Sf9 insect cells using an N-terminal GST tag. MELK or maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase is a member of the Snf1/AMPK kinase family. MELK is a key regulator of the proliferation of malignant brain tumors including their stem cells. MELK transcript abundance correlates with malignancy grade in human astrocytomas and represents a therapeutic target for the management of the most frequent brain tumors in adult and children. MELK also plays a role in mammary carcinogenesis through inhibition of the pro-apoptotic function of Bcl-GL. Therefore, the kinase activity of MELK could be a promising molecular target for development of therapy for patients with breast cancers.

MELK NCBI Database Entry.

The MELK Kinase Enzyme System can be purchased with or without the ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay reagents. Used together, the ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay + Kinase Enzyme Systems provide a convenient method for profiling the effect of lead compounds on kinase activity. Assay advantages include broad dynamic range, ease of use and high sensitivity. Kinase Enzyme Systems are manufactured by SignalChem. Bulk quantities available upon request.

Use with ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay

The ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay is a luminescent kinase assay that measures ADP formed from a kinase reaction; ADP is converted into ATP, which is a substrate in a reaction catalyzed by Ultra-Glo™ Luciferase that produces light. The luminescent signal positively correlates with ADP amount and kinase activity. The assay is well suited for measuring the effects of chemical compounds on the activity of a broad range of purified kinases, making it ideal for both primary screening as well as kinase selectivity profiling. The ADP-Glo™ Kinase Assay can be used to monitor the activity of virtually any ADP-generating enzyme (e.g., kinase or ATPase) using up to 1mM ATP.

See all Kinase Enzyme Systems available from Promega.