We have isolated a murine cDNA encoding for a novel putative Cdk-related protein kinase, which has been named Pftaire-1, by screening a testis cDNA library for new serine/threonine kinases. Pftaire-1 showed 50% and 49% amino acid identity with Cdk5 and Pctaire-3, respectively, and contains the eleven subdomains characteristic of the protein kinases. By northern blot analysis we detected two transcripts of approximately 5.5 and 4.9 kb in size. These transcripts were expressed at low level in all murine tissues tested, except in the brain, testis and embryo, where high expression was detected. Cellular localization of the mRNAs by in situ hybridization analysis shows that Pftaire-1 is expressed in late pachytene spermatocytes in the testis and in post mitotic neuronal cells both in the brain and the embryo, suggesting a role of Pftaire-1 both in the process of meiosis as well as neuron differentiation and/or function.