Nudel was initially discovered as a protein homologous to Aspergillus NUDE and that associated with Lis1 and polyprotein complex cytoplasmic dynein, both of which have been linked to neuronal development and migration. It was later shown to be a substrate of cdk5, a kinase known to be critical during neuronal migration; phosphorylation of Nudel by cdk5 affects its localization in neurons and affects neuritic morphology. It is thought that together with Lis1, Nudel regulates cytoplasmic dynein, a large polyprotein complex, in neuronal migration and mitosis through direct interactions. Similar interactions are thought to also play a role in membrane traffic in other cells as disruption of Nudel expression through RNA interference perturbed normal endomembrane flux and resulted in the fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus.
