title: Deciphering the MAP kinase pathway.
abstract: MAP kinases (MAPK) are serine/threonine kinases which are activated by a dual phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues. Their specific upstream activators, called MAP kinase kinases (MAPKK), constitute a new family of dual-specific threonine/tyrosine kinases, which in turn are activated by upstream MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAPKKK). These three kinase families are successively stimulated in a cascade of activation described in various species such as mammals, frog, fly, worm or yeast. In mammals, the MAP kinase module lies on the signaling pathway triggered by numerous agonists such as growth factors, hormones, lymphokines, tumor promoters, stress factors, etc. Targets of MAP kinase have been characterized in all subcellular compartments. In yeast, genetic epistasis helped to characterize the presence of several MAP kinase modules in the same system. By complementation tests, the relationships existing between phylogenetically distant members of each kinase family have been described. The roles of the MAP kinase cascade have been analyzed by engineering various mutations in the kinases of the module. The MAP kinase cascade has thus been implicated in higher eukaryotes in cell growth, cell fate and differentiation, and in low eukaryotes, in conjugation, osmotic stress, cell wall construct and mitosis.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Biochimie, University of Nice, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: L'Allemain
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000828:Animal Population Groups / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology; D006728:Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000502:physiology; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000502:physiology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D015003:Yeasts / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006133:Growth Substances; D006728:Hormones; D008222:Lymphokines; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; D011494:Protein Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases