Growth Factors and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases

Growth factors and mitogen-activated protein kinases.

Mammalian cells respond to external stimuli by activation of a variety of signal transduction pathways, which culminate in stereotypical responses, such as proliferation, growth arrest, hypertrophy, differentiation, or apoptosis. In vertebrates the actions of many stimuli resulting in proliferative or hypertrophic growth converge on a set of cellular kinase cascades, which are collectively call...

Editorial: Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases

Mitogen-activated protein kinases and retinal ischemia.

PURPOSE Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), consisting of three major enzymes-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-couple cell-surface receptors to critical regulatory targets and gene transcription. We hypothesized that MAPKs are differentially expressed and have distinct functions after retinal ischemia. METHODS Rats were subjected to re...

"Stress-responsive" mitogen-activated protein kinases (c-Jun N-terminal kinases and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases) in the myocardium.

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascades: Terminology and Properties The best-characterized subfamilies of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily are the extracellularly responsive kinases (ERKs) and the two “stress-responsive” MAPK subfamilies, namely, the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and the p38-MAPKs. As yet, no single nomenclature has been determined, and the synonyms c...

Mitogen-activated Protein Kinases in Inflammation

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play critical regulatory roles in the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and downstream signaling events which lead to inflammation. Inflammation is a primarily localized and protective response of host against microbial infection. Controlled inflammation is beneficial and necessary for host defense while uncontrolled inflammatory response res...