KASH Domains

KASH domains are conserved C-terminal protein regions less than ~30 amino acids. KASH is an acronym for Klarsicht, ANC-1, Syne Homology. KASH domains always follow a transmembrane domain. Most proteins containing KASH domains are thought to be involved in the positioning of the nucleus in the cell. It is thought that KASH domains interact with proteins containing SUN domains in the space between the outer and inner nuclear membranes to bridge the nuclear envelope and transfer force from the nucleoskeleton to the cytoplasmic cytoskeleton. KASH proteins are thought to largely localize to the outer nuclear membrane, although there are reports of inner nuclear membrane localization of some KASH protein isoforms.