Top Picks of enzymes with intriguing names
Have you ever read about an enzyme during your research and you caught yourself thinking, “How did they ever come up with this name?” Here are our top picks of weird and wonderful enzyme names!
AURORA
Part of the Aurora kinase family, this might be one of the most beautiful kinase names we've ever encountered.
It was given its name as "reminiscent of the North Pole" with the mesmerizing Aurora lights.
Cyclin
You may be wondering why this is considered an intriguing name.
It's because Cyclin's name is not derived from its function in the cell cycle, but because its inventor, Sir Tim Hunt, really liked cycling.
"The name Cyclin... was really a joke, it's because I liked cycling so much at the time".
JANUS
Straight from Roman mythology come the Janus kinases, or JAKS.
They are aptly named since the have a catalytically inactive pseudokinase distantly related to other tyrosine kinase domains.
"Just like the Roman god Janus, they are two-faced with respect to these domains ".
LOKI (LCK)
We not only have Roman gods on offer - the Norse gods have also joined the Great Kinase Universe!
Named after the mischievous Norse god Loki, this kinase causes no mischief but is crucial for the development and function of T-cells in our immune system.
ODIN (ANKS1A)
Here's another nordic kinase, Odin.
Odin (ANKS1A) is a Src family kinase target in colorectal cancer cells. Borrowing the name from the all-powerful Odin of Norse mythology, this kinase wields its own cellular power, playing a key part in brain development and function.
Nemo (NLK)
Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionarily conserved MAP kinase-related kinase.
The kinase derives its name from the Korean word for "square" since nemo mutants form square-shaped ommatidia (Ishitani, 2012).
Sonic Hedgehog
"What is that protein rolling around at the speed of sound?" It's SHH or Sonic Hedgehog protein!
It was named by Dr. Robert Riddle after a character in the Sega computer game "Sonic the Hedgehog".
And yes, its inhibitor is called Robotnikinin, a reference to Dr. Robotonik, the main villain from the popular game series.
SUV
"Where are we going for our road trip?"
SUV420H1 (KMT5B) is a lysine methyltransferase 5B.
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