Rk. Barr et Ma. Bogoyevitch, The c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase family of mitogen-activated protein kinases (JNK MAPKs), INT J BIO C, 33(11), 2001, pp. 1047-1063
Citations number
107
Categorie Soggetti
Biochemistry & Biophysics
Journal title
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY
The c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase mitogen-activated protein kinases (JNK
MAPKs) are an evolutionarily-conserved family of serine/threonine protein k
inases. First identified in 1990 when intraperitoneal injection of the prot
ein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide activated a 54 kDa protein kinase, th
e JNK MAPKs have now taken on a prominent role in signal transduction. This
research has revealed a number of levels of complexity. Alternative gene s
plicing is now recognised to result in ten different JNK MAPK isoforms of 4
6-55 kDa, and these isoforms differ in their substrate affinities. Furtherm
ore, although originally classified as stress-activated protein kinases (SA
PKs), or SAPKs, the JNK MAPKs are also critical mediators of signal transdu
ction in response to stimulation by cytokines and some growth factors, JNK
MAPKs have been shown to be critical mediators in dorsal closure in develop
ing Drosophila embryos, and targeted knockout of murine JNK MAPKs has sugge
sted a critical involvement of these kinases in mammalian embryonic develop
ment. Recent work has also highlighted their importance in programmed cell
death. Thus, the JNK MAPKs may provide a critical target for regulation in
both normal and diseased states. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights
reserved.