Intracellular localization of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) in mouse neuron: CDK5 is located in both nucleus and cytoplasm.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is one of the cyclin-dependent kinases, and is expressed in mature neurons. CDK5 has been postulated to be a neurofilament or tau protein kinase, because it phosphorylates neurofilaments and tau protein (microtubule-associated protein tau) in vitro. It has been reported that CDK5 was immunohistochemically detected only in axons of neurons. We here report the immunohistochemical study of CDK5 using two distinct antibodies, one recognizing the N-terminal of CDK5 and the other the C-terminal. Immunoreactivity of CDK5 was found not only in axons, but also intensively in nuclei, though not in nucleoli, of neurons in the mouse central and peripheral nervous systems. The nuclear CDK5 possibly has a physiological function distinct from the neurofilament or tau protein kinase.