First, Pseudogenes Found to Have Function; Now Pseudoenzymes

A new study casts serious doubt on what scientists consider useless in the cell. "Dead" enzymes thought to be evolutionary relics now show a regulatory function, as Science Magazine tells the story. In "Dead or Alive," Mitch Leslie writes,

The enzymatic competence of proteins can be difficult to judge, and some apparent pseudoenzymes have fooled researchers. (Emphasis added.)

Case in point: CASK is a "classic pseudokinase," lacking the ability to do what kinases normally do. That is, swipe a...