LIM domain kinase 1 is a enzyme that in humans is encoded by the LIMK1 gene. It is a gene located in a region on the seventh chromosome and plays an important role in making protein for building the brain, and is possibly also involved in the development of nerve cells. The protein manufactured is regarded as essential for promoting the development of areas in the brain responsible for processing visual-spatial abilities involved in tasks such as assembling puzzles, drawing and writing. The LIMK1 gene is deleted in people with Williams syndrome, such that one copy of the gene is missing in each cell. Some studies suggest that this deletion contributes to the problems with visual-spatial tasks in individuals with the syndrome, but there are others that have not been able to support this association. It is also claimed that the LIMK1 protein regulates the cytoskeleton that is essential for shape, size and movement of cells, and controls the organization of actin filaments necessary for cellular functions such as cell division, transport of proteins and chemical signaling among cells. When expressed in high levels, the LIMK1 protein appears to signal certain cancers (e.g., breast, lung, melanoma, and prostate), Such high levels have been proposed to be related to changes in the organization of actin filaments and thereby an increased chance that a cancer will spread.
See Actin, Chromosome, Cytoskeleton, Elastin (gene), Williams syndrome