A Conserved Kinase-Based Body-Temperature Sensor Globally Controls Alternative Splicing and Gene Expression (Molecular Cell)

Haltenhof et al. show that the activity of CLK kinases is extremely sensitive to physiological temperature changes. This cellular thermometer is based on minor structural rearrangements of the kinase activation segment, representing a new concept in enzymology. CLKs globally control alternative splicing and gene expression in a (body) temperature-dependent manner, with wide implications ranging from circadian biology to disease conditions. This thermometer is evolutionarily adapted to the growth temperature of diverse organisms with implications for reptilian temperature dependent sex determination.