DYRK1B, also known as Mirk, is a serine/threonine kinase activated by intramolecular tyrosine phosphorylation. It is involved in multiple biological processes, such as skeletal muscle differentiation, where it blocks cycling myoblasts in the G0 quiescent state, and in the regulation of ventral spinal cord development via the Shh pathway. It also participates in pathways related to mitochondrial bioenergetics, autophagy, and lipid metabolism [3,4]. Genetic models like transgenic and knockout mice have been crucial for studying DYRK1B's functions [1].

In knockout mouse models, deletion of DYRK1B mitigated transverse aortic constriction-induced cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, suggesting its role in the progression of these heart-related conditions. The mechanism involves DYRK1B's positive association with impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics by binding with STAT3, increasing its phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation, and downregulating PGC-1α [1]. In pancreatic cancer, genetic ablation of DYRK1B in mouse models strongly attracted tumoricidal macrophages, downregulated the phagocytosis checkpoint CD24 on cancer cells, and inhibited tumor cell expansion [2].

In conclusion, DYRK1B plays essential roles in various biological processes and disease conditions. Model-based research, especially DYRK1B knockout mouse models, has revealed its significant contributions to heart failure and pancreatic cancer, providing potential therapeutic targets for these diseases.

References:

1. Zhuang, Lingfang, Jia, Kangni, Chen, Chen, Chen, Kang, Yan, Xiaoxiang. 2022. DYRK1B-STAT3 Drives Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure by Impairing Mitochondrial Bioenergetics. In Circulation, 145, 829-846. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055727. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35235343/

2. Brichkina, Anna, Ems, Miriam, Suezov, Roman, Gress, Thomas M, Lauth, Matthias. 2024. DYRK1B blockade promotes tumoricidal macrophage activity in pancreatic cancer. In Gut, 73, 1684-1701. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2023-331854. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38834297/

3. Friedman, Eileen. . Mirk/Dyrk1B in cancer. In Journal of cellular biochemistry, 102, 274-9. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17583556/

4. Kokkorakis, N, Douka, K, Nalmpanti, A, Matsas, R, Gaitanou, M. 2024. Mirk/Dyrk1B controls ventral spinal cord development via Shh pathway. In Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 81, 70. doi:10.1007/s00018-023-05097-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38294527/