Rubinfeld Hadara, Seger Rony
Department of Biological Regulation, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Mol Biotechnol. 2005 Oct;31(2):151-74. doi: 10.1385/MB:31:2:151.
Sequential activation of protein kinases within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades is a common mechanism of signal transduction in many cellular processes. Four such cascades have been elucidated thus far, and named according to their MAPK tier component as the ERK1/2, JNK, p38MAPK, and ERK5 cascades. These cascades cooperate in transmitting various extracellular signals, and thus control cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, development, stress response, and apoptosis. Here we describe the classic ERK1/2 cascade, and concentrate mainly on the properties of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2, including their mode of regulation and their role in various cellular processes and in oncogenesis. This cascade may serve as a prototype of the other MAPK cascades, and the study of this cascade is likely to contribute to the understanding of mitogenic and other processes in many cell lines and tissues.
丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）级联反应中蛋白激酶的顺序激活是许多细胞过程中信号转导的常见机制。迄今为止，已阐明了四种这样的级联反应，并根据其MAPK层级成分命名为ERK1/2、JNK、p38MAPK和ERK5级联反应。这些级联反应协同传递各种细胞外信号，从而控制细胞增殖、分化、发育、应激反应和凋亡等过程。在这里，我们描述经典的ERK1/2级联反应，并主要关注MEK1/2和ERK1/2的特性，包括它们的调节方式以及它们在各种细胞过程和肿瘤发生中的作用。该级联反应可能作为其他MAPK级联反应的原型，对其研究可能有助于理解许多细胞系和组织中的有丝分裂及其他过程。
