Enables protein serine/threonine kinase activity. Involved in several processes, including generation of neurons; hemidesmosome assembly; and regulation of apoptotic process. Located in centrosome and cytoplasm. Is expressed in several structures, including Q lineage cell; QL; QL.aa; QL.pp; and neurons. Orthologous to human MELK (maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase).
WB Description
pig-1 encodes a serine/threonine kinase orthologous to vertebrate MELK (Maternal Embryonic Leucine zipper Kinase, OMIM:607025); in C. elegans, PIG-1 activity is required for asymmetric neuroblast divisions, including that of the QL/R.p and HSN/PHB neuroblast lineages, that result in one neuronal precursor and one apoptotic cell; in regulating asymmetric division of QL/R.p, pig-1 functions cell autonomously in a pathway with par-4, strd-1, and mop-25.2 which encode orthologs of the LKB1 kinase, STRAD pseudokinase, and MO25 adaptor protein, respectively; pig-1 is ubiquitously expressed in early embryos, broadly expressed in dividing larval cells, and silent in adults; PIG-1 localizes to the cytoplasm and to centrosomes.