Physiological and Pathological Roles of Mammalian NEK7

Zhenzhen Sun; Wei Gong; Yue Zhang; Zhanjun Jia

doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.606996

Physiological and Pathological Roles of Mammalian NEK7

Front Physiol. 2020 Dec 7:11:606996. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.606996. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Zhenzhen Sun^{1

2

3}, Wei Gong^{1

2

3}, Yue Zhang^{1

2

3}, Zhanjun Jia^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
² Nanjing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
³ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

NEK7 is the smallest NIMA-related kinase (NEK) in mammals. The pathological and physiological roles of NEK7 have been widely reported in many studies. To date, the major function of NEK7 has been well documented in mitosis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, but the detailed mechanisms of its regulation remain unclear. This review summarizes current advances in NEK7 research involving mitotic regulation, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, related diseases and potential inhibitors, which may provide new insights into the understanding and therapy of the diseases associated with NEK7, as well as the subsequent studies in the future.

Keywords: NEK7; NLRP3 inflammasome; cellular homeostasis; inhibitors; mitosis.

Publication types

Review