PURPOSE To report the indications and techniques of corneal transplantation at a tertiary referral center in Tehran over a 3-year period. METHODS Records of patients who had undergone any kind of corneal transplantation at Labbafinejad Medical Center, Tehran, Iran from March 2004 to March 2007 were reviewed to determine the indications and types of corneal transplantation. RESULTS During th...

DAP-like kinase (Dlk, also termed ZIP kinase) is a leucine zipper-containing serine/threonine-specific protein kinase with as yet unknown biological function(s). Interaction partners so far identified are either transcription factors or proteins that can support or counteract apoptosis. Thus, Dlk might be involved in regulating transcription or, more generally, survival or apoptosis. Here we re...

A new therapeutic target in view? The genetics, pathology, and clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are heterogeneous, which makes the development and testing of candidate therapeutics difficult. Le Pichon et al. identified dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) as a common regulator of neuronal degeneration in mouse models of ALS and Alzhe...

The radial migration of differentiating neurons provides an essential step in the generation of laminated neocortex, although its molecular mechanism is not fully understood. We show that the protein levels of a JNK activator kinase, MUK/DLK/ZPK, and JNK activity increase potently and temporally in newly generated neurons in developing mouse telencephalon during radial migration. The ectopic ex...

A broadly known method to stimulate the growth potential of axons is to elevate intracellular levels of cAMP, however the cellular pathway(s) that mediate this are not known. Here we identify the Dual Leucine-zipper Kinase (DLK, Wnd in Drosophila) as a critical target and effector of cAMP in injured axons. DLK/Wnd is thought to function as an injury 'sensor', as it becomes activated after axona...

Mammalian corticogenesis substantially depends on migration and axon projection of newborn neurons that are coordinated by a yet unidentified molecular mechanism. Dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) induces activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a molecule that regulates morphogenesis in various organisms. We show here, using gene targeting in mice, that DLK is indispensable for establishing...

Here we demonstrate that the dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) promotes robust regeneration of peripheral axons after nerve injury in mice. Peripheral axon regeneration is accelerated by prior injury; however, DLK KO neurons do not respond to a preconditioning lesion with enhanced regeneration in vivo or in vitro. Assays for activation of transcription factors in injury-induced proregenerative p...

The PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) arm of the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) is implicated in neurodegenerative disease, although the regulators and consequences of PERK activation following neuronal injury are poorly understood. Here we show that PERK signaling is a component of the mouse MAP kinase neuronal stress response controlled by the Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase (DLK) and...

BACKGROUND The mixed-lineage kinase (MLK) family member DLK has been proposed to serve as a regulator of differentiation in various cell types; however, its role in adipogenesis has not been investigated. In this study, we used the 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell line as a model to examine the function of DLK in adipocyte differentiation. METHODS AND FINDINGS Immunoblot analyses and kinase assays pe...

In this issue of Neuron, Shin et al. (2012) show that the dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) is responsible for the retrograde injury signal in spinal sensory and motor neurons. DLK is required for the accelerated regeneration seen after axotomy and for the improved regeneration seen after a conditioning injury. DLK KO axons have severely reduced axon regeneration in vivo.