title: Regulatory mechanisms of mitogen-activated kinase signaling.
abstract: MAP kinases (MAPKs) are evolutionarily conserved regulators that mediate signal transduction and play essential roles in various physiological processes. There are three main families of MAPKs in mammals, whose functions are regulated by activators, inactivators, substrates and scaffolds, which together form delicate signaling cascades in response to different extracellular or intracellular stimulation. MAPK signaling is tightly regulated so that optimal biological activities are achieved and health is maintained. However, how the specificity of the signaling flow along each cascade is achieved is still relatively unclear. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the regulation of MAPK cascades and the roles of MAP kinases and their regulators in development and in immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 906, 7455 Fannin, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. ylzhang@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000201:enzymology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases