TSSK1B/TSSK1

TSSK1B, also called TSSK1 or STK22, is a haploid-phase serine/threonine kinase expressed in spermatids during spermiogenesis, where it associates with TSSK2 and the scaffold protein TSKS. Within the TSSK family — TSSK1B, TSSK2, TSSK3, TSSK4 and TSSK6 — TSSK1B functions in the cytoplasmic remodeling of elongating spermatids rather than in chromatin condensation. TSSK1B corresponds to STK22B and shares its nearly identical catalytic domain with the STK22A counterpart TSSK1, and the two are commonly cataloged together. Because its catalytic activity depends on autophosphorylation and on heteromeric assembly with related TSSKs, recombinant TSSK1B is typically studied in complex with TSSK2. Its germ-cell-restricted expression makes TSSK1B a candidate target for non-hormonal male contraception.