Kinase suppressor of ras (ksr) is required for efficient signal transmission within the RAS/MAPK cascade. A screen for mutations that modify a ksr-dependent phenotype identified a novel gene, connector enhancer of ksr (cnk), that functions upstream or in parallel to RAF in the RAS pathway. cnk encodes a protein containing several protein-protein interaction domains, suggesting that it brings di...

BACKGROUND Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be expanded infinitely in vitro and have the potential to differentiate into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); thus, they are considered a useful source of cells for HSC production. Although several technical in vitro methods for engineering HSCs from pluripotent stem cells have been developed, clinical application of HSCs engineered from pluripotent st...

Cancers often arise in part through derangements in protein kinase signaling. A striking example of this is the finding that approximately 30% of human tumors have mutations in Ras or B-Raf, leading to aberrant ERK kinase activation. Kinase signaling networks are often organized by scaffolding and anchoring proteins that help shape the dynamics of signal processing. AKAP-Lbc associates with the...

Long-term hygroscopic thickness swelling rate of polypropylene (PP) composites filled with thermally treated wood flour was investigated. The beech chips were heat at 120 °C, 150 °C or 180 for 30 min using saturated steam in a digester. based on PP, (BF), and coupling agents (PP-g-MA) made by melt compounding injection molding. weight ratio BF to PP controlled 50/47 all blends. amount agent fix...

Pathway inhibition of the RAS-driven MAPK pathway using small-molecule kinase inhibitors has been a key focus for treating cancers driven by oncogenic RAS, yet significant clinical responses are lacking. Feedback reactivation of ERK driven by drug-induced RAF activity has been suggested as one of the major drug resistance mechanisms, especially in the context of oncogenic RAS. To determine whet...

Kinase suppressor of Ras (KSR) is an evolutionarily conserved component of Ras-dependent signaling pathways. Here, we find that murine KSR (mKSR1) translocates from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane in the presence of activated Ras. At the membrane, mKSR1 modulates Ras signaling by enhancing Raf-1 activity in a kinase-independent manner. The activation of Raf-1 is mediated by the mKSR1 cyste...

The effect of wood flour and coupling agent content on the hygroscopic thickness swelling rate of polypropylene composites was investigated in this study. To meet this objective, the wood flour was compounded with polypropylene and coupling agent in an internal mixer; then the samples were fabricated by injection molding. The concentration was varied from 40 to 60% for wood flour and from 0 to ...

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) can both positively and negatively influence the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, but its relevant substrates are largely unknown. In C. elegans, the PR55/B regulatory subunit of PP2A, which is encoded by sur-6, positively regulates Ras-mediated vulval induction and acts at a step between Ras and Raf. We show that the catalytic subunit (C) of PP2A, which is encod...

The group I members of the Nm23 (non-metastatic) gene family encode nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) that have been implicated in the regulation of cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. Despite their developmental and medical significance, the molecular functions of these NDPKs remain ill defined. To minimize confounding effects of functional compensation between closely rela...