NEK1 and neurodegenerative disease: This dynamic behavior may allow NEK1 to act as a central hub in coordinating the cellular response to DNA damage, interacting with a variety of proteins to either promote DNA repair or trigger cell death, depending on the severity of the damage.Recent studies have also uncovered the involvement of NEK1 in neuroinflammation and neuronal survival, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases (Figure 3; Table 4).