Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (also known as MAP2K, MEK, MAPKK) is a
dual-specificity kinase enzyme
An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
which
phosphorylates
In biochemistry, phosphorylation is described as the "transfer of a phosphate group" from a donor to an acceptor. A common phosphorylating agent (phosphate donor) is ATP and a common family of acceptor are alcohols:
:
This equation can be writt ...
mitogen-activated protein kinase
A mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MAP kinase) is a type of serine/threonine-specific protein kinases involved in directing cellular responses to a diverse array of stimuli, such as mitogens, osmotic stress, heat shock and proinflamma ...
(MAPK).
MAP2K is classified as .
There are seven genes:
* (a.k.a.
MEK1)
* (a.k.a.
MEK2)
* (a.k.a.
MKK3)
* (a.k.a.
MKK4)
* (a.k.a.
MKK5)
* (a.k.a.
MKK6)
* (a.k.a.
MKK7)
The activators of
p38 (MKK3 and MKK6),
JNK (MKK4 and MKK7), and
ERK (MEK1 and MEK2) define independent
MAP kinase signal transduction pathways. The acronym MEK derives from MAPK/ERK Kinase.
Role in melanoma
MEK is a member of the MAPK signaling cascade that is activated in melanoma.
When MEK is inhibited, cell proliferation is blocked and
apoptosis
Apoptosis (from ) is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms and in some eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms such as yeast. Biochemistry, Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (Morphology (biol ...
(controlled cell death) is induced.
See also
*
Signal transduction
Signal transduction is the process by which a chemical or physical signal is transmitted through a cell as a biochemical cascade, series of molecular events. Proteins responsible for detecting stimuli are generally termed receptor (biology), rece ...
*
MAP kinase
*
MAP kinase kinase kinase
Mitogen Activated Protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK, MKKK, M3K, or, MAP3K) is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase which acts upon MAP kinase kinase. Subsequently, MAP kinase kinase activates MAP kinase. Several types of MAPKKK ca ...
*
MAP kinase kinase kinase kinase
References
External links
*
Protein kinases
EC 2.7.12
Genes associated with cancer
{{Protein-stub