An overview of the KIN1/PAR-1/MARK kinase family

Members of the KIN1/PAR-1/MARK kinase family are conserved from yeast to humans and share a similar primary structural organization. Several kinases of this family appear to be at the crossroads of various biological functions including cell polarity, cell cycle control, intracellular signalisation, microtubules stability and protein stability. Here we present an overview of known roles of KIN1/PAR-1/MARK kinases including pEg3 a newly identified member which is regulated during the cell cycle and is a potential regulator of the cell cycle progression. Some common modes of action can be deciphered for this protein kinase family.