Background of the antigen
ATM is a 370 kDa nuclear phosphoprotein involved in the autosomal recessive disease Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT). ATM belongs to a novel family of proteins associated with cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and response to DNA damage repair (DNA damage caused by such things as ionizing irradiation activates ATM kinase). The C terminal region has extensive homology to the catalytic domains of Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinases (PI3 kinases).