The lemur tail kinase family in neuronal function and disfunction in neurodegenerative diseases

The complex neuronal architecture and the long distance of synapses from the cell body require precisely orchestrated axonal and dendritic transport processes to support key neuronal functions including synaptic signalling, learning and memory formation. Protein phosphorylation is a major regulator of both intracellular transport and synaptic functions. Some kinases and phosphatases such as cyclin dependent kinase-5 (cdk5)/p35, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) are strongly involved in these processes. A primary pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia, is synaptic degeneration together with disrupted intracellular transport. One attractive possibility is that alterations to key kinases and phosphatases may underlie both synaptic and axonal transport damages. The brain enriched lemur tail kinases (LMTKs, formerly known as lemur tyrosine kinases) are involved in intracellular transport and synaptic functions, and are also centrally placed in cdk5/p35, GSK3β and PP1 signalling pathways. Loss of LMTKs is documented in major neurodegenerative diseases and thus can contribute to pathological defects in these disorders. However, whilst function of their signalling partners became clearer in modulating both synaptic signalling and axonal transport progress has only recently been made around LMTKs. In this review, we describe this progress with a special focus on intracellular transport, synaptic functions and neurodegenerative diseases.