Instituto Cajal (CSIC), Av. Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 9;22(8):3883. doi: 10.3390/ijms22083883.
The c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signalling pathway is a conserved response to a wide range of internal and external cellular stress signals. Beside the stress response, the JNK pathway is involved in a series of vital regulatory mechanisms during development and adulthood that are critical to maintain tissue homeostasis. These mechanisms include the regulation of apoptosis, growth, proliferation, differentiation, migration and invasion. The JNK pathway has a diverse functionality and cell-tissue specificity, and has emerged as a key player in regeneration, tumorigenesis and other pathologies. The JNK pathway is highly active in the central nervous system (CNS), and plays a central role when cells need to cope with pathophysiological insults during development and adulthood. Here, we review the implications of the JNK pathway in pathologies of the CNS. More specifically, we discuss some newly identified examples and mechanisms of JNK-driven tumor progression in glioblastoma, regeneration/repair after an injury, neurodegeneration and neuronal cell death. All these new discoveries support the central role of JNK in CNS pathologies and reinforce the idea of JNK as potential target to reduce their detrimental effects.
c-Jun N-末端激酶（JNK）信号通路是细胞对广泛的内部和外部细胞应激信号的保守反应。除了应激反应外，JNK 通路还参与了发育和成年过程中的一系列重要调节机制，这些机制对于维持组织内稳态至关重要。这些机制包括细胞凋亡、生长、增殖、分化、迁移和侵袭的调节。JNK 通路具有多样化的功能和细胞组织特异性，并且已成为再生、肿瘤发生和其他病理过程中的关键参与者。JNK 通路在中枢神经系统（CNS）中非常活跃，在细胞需要应对发育和成年期间生理病理损伤时发挥核心作用。在这里，我们综述了 JNK 通路在 CNS 病理中的作用。更具体地说，我们讨论了一些新发现的 JNK 驱动的神经胶质瘤肿瘤进展、损伤后再生/修复、神经退行性变和神经元细胞死亡的例子和机制。所有这些新发现都支持 JNK 在 CNS 病理中的核心作用，并强化了将 JNK 作为潜在靶点来减少其有害影响的观点。
