The identification of signal components and analysis of the regulatory mechanisms of WNK protein kinases, the essential genes for early development and pathogenesis of hereditary form of hypertension

WNK激酶家族是近年来发现的一个丝氨酸-苏氨酸蛋白激酶家族，在多种多细胞生物中具有保守性。有四个人类WNK家族成员，其中两个WNK 1和WNK 4的突变与人类高血压的遗传形式有关。此外，WNK 1基因的破坏导致生物体死亡。因此，阐明WNK信号网络对于阐明形态发生、器官发生和疾病的机制具有重要意义。本研究通过生物化学、分子生物学和遗传学技术，鉴定了WNK新的相互作用因子。

WNK kinase family that has been recently identified serine-threonine protein kinase family conserved among several multicellular organisms. There are four human WNK family members, and mutations in two of them, WNK1 and WNK4, have been linked to a hereditary form of human hypertension. Moreover, the disruption of the WNK1 gene caused death of organisms. Therefore, the elucidation of WNK signaling network is important upon clarifying the mechanism of morphogenesis, organogenesis and disease. In this research, new interacting factors of WNK were identified by biochemical, molecular biology, and genetic techniques.