# WNK1

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/wnk1/  
OnCo record `wnk1` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

WNK1 (Serine/threonine-protein kinase WNK1) is a protein kinase, an enzyme that switches other proteins on by adding phosphate groups. The public catalogues list it as a biomarker, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Burkitt lymphoma.

## Summary

Serine/threonine-protein kinase component of the WNK1-SPAK/OSR1 kinase cascade, which acts as a key regulator of blood pressure and regulatory volume increase by promoting ion influx. WNK1 mediates regulatory volume increase in response to hyperosmotic stress by acting as a molecular crowding sensor, which senses cell shrinkage and mediates formation of a membraneless compartment by undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation. The membraneless compartment concentrates WNK1 with its substrates, OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK, promoting WNK1-dependent phosphorylation and activation of downstream kinases OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 1 variant.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: WNK lysine deficient protein kinase 1; Serine/threonine-protein kinase WNK1; HSAN2; PPP1R167; PRKWNK1; HSN2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: WNK1
- Class: kinase
- Biology: Serine/threonine-protein kinase component of the WNK1-SPAK/OSR1 kinase cascade, which acts as a key regulator of blood pressure and regulatory volume increase by promoting ion influx. WNK1 mediates regulatory volume increase in response to hyperosmotic stress by acting as a molecular crowding sensor, which senses cell shrinkage and mediates formation of a membraneless compartment by undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation. The membraneless compartment concentrates WNK1 with its substrates, OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK, promoting WNK1-dependent phosphorylation and activation of downstream kinases OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK. Following activation, OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK catalyse phosphorylation of ion cotransporters SLC12A1/NKCC2, SLC12A2/NKCC1, SLC12A5/KCC2 and SLC12A6/KCC3, regulating their activity. Phosphorylation of Na-K-Cl cotransporters SLC12A2/NKCC1 and SLC12A2/NKCC1 promote their activation and ion influx; simultaneously, phosphorylation of K-Cl cotransporters SLC12A5/KCC2 and SLC12A6/KCC3 inhibit their activity, blocking ion efflux. Also acts as a regulator of angiogenesis in endothelial cells via activation of OXSR1/OSR1 and STK39/SPAK: activation of OXSR1/OSR1 regulates chemotaxis and invasion, while STK39/SPAK regulates endothelial cell proliferation. Location: Cytoplasm; Nucleus; Cytoplasm, cytoskeleton, spindle (UniProt). Locus 12p13.33 (HGNC).
- Where found: Burkitt lymphoma: CIViC evidence names this disease

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:14540: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:14540
- UniProt Q9H4A3: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9H4A3/entry
- NCBI Gene 65125: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/65125
- Ensembl ENSG00000060237: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000060237

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/)
- cancers: [Burkitt lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/burkitt-lymphoma/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/wnk1.json