Duet is a novel serine/threonine kinase with Dbl-Homology (DH) and Pleckstrin-Homology (PH) domains

We show here the identification of Duet, a novel molecule bearing serine/threonine kinase, Dbl-Homology (DH), and Pleckstrin-Homology (PH) domains. The kinase domain of Duet shows a homology to that of DAP kinase that is involved in apoptosis, and Duet is autophosphorylated by an in-vitro kinase assay. The DH- and PH-domains are closely related to those of Trio and Kalirin. Duet mRNA is specifically expressed in skeletal muscle. Duet protein was localized to actin-associated cytoskeletal elements. These data suggest a role of Duet in the cytoskeleton-dependent cell function.