Recombinant full-length human LKB1(STK11) was expressed by Baculovirus in Sf9 insect cells using an N-terminal GST tag. LKB1(STK11) is a member of the serine/threonine kinase family which regulates cell polarity and functions as a tumor suppressor. STK11 is a critical barrier to pulmonary tumorigenesis which controlling initiation, differentiation, and metastasis. STK11 plays a central role in restricting HSC entry into cell cycle and in broadly maintaining energy homeostasis in hematopoietic cells through a novel metabolic checkpoint (1). STK11 serves as an essential regulator of HSCs and hematopoiesis, and more generally, points to the critical importance of coupling energy metabolism and stem cell homeostasis (2).
