Identification of a Dual Specificity Kinase That Activates the Jun Kinases and p38-Mpk2

TLDR

Ras-dependent MAPK signaling involves a Raf‑1/MEK/ERK cascade and a MEKK‑driven JNK cascade. The study identified JNKK, a dual‑specificity kinase that links MEKK to JNK and p38, activates these MAPKs but not ERK, and is unresponsive to Raf‑1 in HeLa cells.

Abstract

One Ras-dependent protein kinase cascade leading from growth factor receptors to the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinases) subgroup of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is dependent on the protein kinase Raf-1, which activates the MEK (MAPK or ERK kinase) dual specificity kinases. A second protein kinase cascade leading to activation of the Jun kinases (JNKs) is dependent on MEKK (MEK kinase). A dual-specificity kinase that activates JNK, named JNKK, was identified that functions between MEKK and JNK. JNKK activated the JNKs but did not activate the ERKs and was unresponsive to Raf-1 in transfected HeLa cells. JNKK also activated another MAPK, p38 (Mpk2; the mammalian homolog of HOG1 from yeast), whose activity is regulated similarly to that of the JNKs.