# Deciphering a novel kinase function for adck2 in the heart

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $111,845

## Abstract

Project Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of death in the world characterized by progressive heart disease that affects
the pumping action of the heart muscle. As the heart is a mechanical pump solely responsible to distribute
oxygenated blood to peripheral organs, discovering novel mechanisms that allow for this highly energetic organ
to fulfill its function is vital for understanding basic molecular and cellular mechanisms and physiology in heart
cells in normal and pathologic conditions. Mitochondria are the main drivers for ATP generation, thus these
cellular structures set the energetic potential of heart cells to ultimate supply the demand for contractile
generation. ADCK2, is an uncharacterized aarF domain containing kinase 2, highly expressed in the heart.
Computationally, it has been predicted to enable ATP binding activity and be involved in ubiquinone biosynthesis
(coenzyme Q). In addition, STRING interaction network analysis positions ADCK2 as an interactor with scl25a5
(ANT2) and TIMM13 (a member of the mitochondrial transport system). While computational evidence points to
an important role for this kinase in the heart, little is known about this kinase. This project aims at filling in this
gap in knowledge. We hypothesize that indeed ADCK2 is important for cardiac mitochondrial function in the adult
heart, particularly involving the potential role in CoQ and electron transport chain function. Data originated from
this project will serve as the basis for expansion into other larger studies. Two main aims are proposed in this
relatively small study: 1) Determining the role of ADCK2 in mitochondrial respiration and adult cardiomyocyte
substrate utilization; 2) Exploring how loss of ADCK2 in the heart alter ATP generation and cell survival. The
overarching goal of this project is to generate tools and initial data that will engage future studies on this
unexplored yet promising kinase.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11014779
- **Project number:** 7R03TR004445-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Priscila Sato
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $111,845
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2024-02-27 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11014779

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11014779, Deciphering a novel kinase function for adck2 in the heart (7R03TR004445-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11014779. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*