Molecular mechanism by which MKK6 ()-mediated MAPK cascades regulate the oxidative stress response.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MKKs) are important components of the MAPK signaling pathways, which play a key role in responding to stress and inflammatory stimuli. Here, a new MKK gene, , was identified and functionally analyzed in Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the AccMKK6 expression level was up-regulated by several environmental stresses. Moreover, the knockdown of by RNA interference technology altered the expression levels of some antioxidant genes. In addition, the knockdown of resulted in increased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreased antioxidant-related enzymes activity in honeybees. To explore the MAPK signaling pathways involved in , we identified the transcription factor kayak in We analyzed the interactions of AccMKK6, Accp38b, and Acckayak using the yeast two-hybrid system. and showed similar expression profiles after several stress treatments. In addition, the expression level of was significantly increased when was silenced. Therefore, we speculate that may be involved in the MAPK cascades, which play a crucial role in counteracting oxidative stress caused by external stimuli.