Biology

Signal transduction

Kinase

MAPK/ERK pathway

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase

Cell biology

Protein kinase A

Anti-apoptotic Ras signalling cascade

Cancer research

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

MAP kinase kinase kinase

MAPK cascade

Biochemical Society Transactions

The RAF–MEK–ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is aberrantly activated in a diverse set of human cancers and the RASopathy group of genetic developmental disorders. This protein kinase cascade is one of the most intensely studied cellular signaling networks and has been frequently targeted by the pharmaceutical industry, with more than 30 inhibitors either approved or under clinical evaluation. The ERK–MAPK cascade was originally depicted as a serial and linear, unidirectional pathway that relays extracellular signals, such as mitogenic stimuli, through the cytoplasm to the nucleus. However, we now appreciate that this three-tiered protein kinase cascade is a central core of a complex network with dynamic signaling inputs and outputs and autoregulatory loops. Despite our considerable advances in understanding the ERK–MAPK network, the ability of cancer cells to adapt to the inhibition of key nodes reveals a level of complexity that remains to be fully understood. In this review, we summarize ...

The ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling network: the final frontier in RAS signal transduction