kek6 (Kekkon 6; A0A0B4KHL5, FBgn0039862, CG1804) curation notes

Literature search (2026-11-06)

No deep-research API keys were available; no provider deep-research file was made.
PubMed query kekkon-6 OR kek6 OR Kek-6 Drosophila returned three papers: 39704728,
28846707, 15179511. All three are cached (15179511 abstract only, fetched with
just fetch-pmid). FlyBase hand-written description in kek6-deep-research-flybase.md.

Protein

• Unreviewed TrEMBL entry (PE 4). LRR + LRRCT + one Ig domain ectodomain, signal peptide
  1..31, transmembrane segment 385..410 (UniProt features), no kinase domain.
  UniProt DR PANTHER: PTHR24366:SF87 (KEKKON 6, ISOFORM B), the same family as Toll-6 in
  UniProt's HMM classification.
• Kek family: PMID:15179511; Kek family members form homotypic and heterotypic complexes.

Neurotrophin receptor function (PMID:28846707, Ulian-Benitez et al. 2017)

• Kek-6 binds DNT2 and DNT1 PMID:28846707;
  PMID:28846707.
• Presynaptic in motoneurons; DNT2 is muscle-derived retrograde factor PMID:28846707.
• Localization: PMID:28846707; Kek-6>FlyBow along
  motoneuron axons and synaptic boutons.
• Epistasis: PMID:28846707;
  downstream partners CaMKII and VAP33A (co-IP; pull-down) PMID:28846707.
• With Toll-6: PMID:28846707; PMID:28846707; Kek-6 does not antagonise
  Toll-6.
• Phenotypes: kek6 mutants have smaller NMJs, fewer boutons, less branching, reduced
  pCaMKII; overexpression increases active zones but not NMJ size PMID:28846707.

Adult dopaminergic circuit (PMID:39704728, Sun et al. 2024)

• PMID:39704728

IBA rows

PAINT node PTN008615184; the only experimental donor is kek6 itself (FB:FBgn0039862).
That is the expected marker of target-side experimental grounding, not circularity.
just paint-losses DROME kek6: no IRD/IKR on the lineage.

FlyBase description check

"co-receptor for spz5, its other receptor being Toll-6" - consistent with PMID:28846707
(the paper calls Kek-6 a receptor and proposes a Kek-6/Toll-6 DNT2 receptor complex).
"activating CaMKII" - supported (pCaMKII reduced in mutants, increased on
overexpression). "inducing synaptogenesis and axonal branching at the NMJ" - supported: kek6 is
required for bouton number and branching, and PMID:28846707. All claims verified; the text omits
DNT1 binding and the adult dopaminergic-circuit role (PMID:39704728).