Molecular Biology of Diacylglycerol Kinase

Abstract

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) may regulate glycerolipid biosynthesis as well as cellular signal transduction by phosphorylating diacylglycerol back to phosphatidic acid. The cDNA cloning of DGK has revealed the presence of a novel enzyme family having unique structures. Already 4 species (designated α-δ) of animal DGK family members have been cloned and much more to be sequenced in the near future. Further work based on the knowledge obtained by the cDNA cloning would reveal the biological implication of the multiple DGK subspecies.