We identified Ran-binding protein (RanBPM) as an interacting partner of the caspase-processed C-terminal domain of cyclin-dependent kinase 11 (CDK11(p46)) by using the yeast two-hybrid system. CDK11(p110) protein kinases are members of the cyclin-dependent kinase superfamily. During staurosporine-, Fas-, and tumor necrosis factor a-induced apoptosis caspase-processed activated CDK11(p46) is generated from larger CDK11(p110) isoforms. CDK11(p46) promotes apoptosis when it is ectopically expressed in human cells. However, the mechanism of signal transduction through CDK11(p46) is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that CDK11(p46) directly interacts with RanBPM in vitro and in human cells. RanBPM contains a conserved SPRY (repeats in sp1A and Ryr) domain and is localized both in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The SPRY domain of RanBPM is responsible for the association between CDK11(p46) and RanBPM. Furthermore, we show that CDK11(46) phosphorylates RanBPM. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.