Dual-specificity tyrosine (Y)-phosphorylation-regulated protein kinase 1A (Dyrk1A) is the mammalian homologue of Drosophila melanogaster minibrain and its human gene is mapped to the Down syndrome critical region of chromosome 21. Dyrk1A phosphorylates several transcription factors, including NFAT and CREB and a number of cytosolic proteins such as APP, tau, and α-synuclein. Although Dyrk1A is involved in the control of cell growth and postembryonic neurogenesis, its potential role during cell death and signaling pathway is not clearly understood. In the present study, we show that Dyrk1A is activated under the condition of apoptotic cell death. In addition, Dyrk1A is coupled to JNK1 activation, and directly interacts with apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Moreover, Dyrk1A positively regulates ASK1-mediated JNK1-signaling, and appears to directly phosphorylate ASK1. These data indicate that Dyrk1A regulates cell death through facilitating ASK1-mediated signaling events.

Keywords: ASK1, cell death, Dyrk1A, JNK, signal transduction