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The role of Cyclin Dependent Kinase 5 in insulin exocytosis

Cyclin dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is an atypical member of the cyclin dependent kinase family, in that it is not a regulator of the cell cycle. CDK5 has been shown to play an active role in the terminal differentiation of neurons and dysregulation of CDK5 has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease (AD). An emerging role for CDK5 has recently been identified in some non‐neuronal tissues. For example, in the pancreas CDK5 activity is involved in insulin exocytosis; whether it is a positive or negative regulator of the process, however, is still unclear. Our lab studies the role of CDK5 in mammalian development and has previously shown a negative effect on the developing neuronal phenotype when CDK5 activity is inhibited. We are now exploring the consequences of inhibiting CDK5 activity in the developing pancreas. Specifically, we employ the non‐insulin producing acinar cell line, AR42J, which can be transdifferentiated into an insulin‐positive cell in response to growth factors, and analyze insulin exocytosis by immunochemical methods. Here we report the results of chemical inhibition of CDK5 activity during this transdifferentiation process. Our preliminary findings shed light on the role of CDK5 in this process, allowing us to explore the function of this neuronal‐specific protein in both pancreatic development and pathologies.