Assays for Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MARK) Subtypes and MARK Activating Protein Kinase-2 (MAPKAP K-2) Using a Common Cell Lysate.

The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) correspond to a family of serine/threonine kinases that can be divided into three subtypes, ERK, JNK/ SAPK, and p38 MAPK. They are activated by a complex set of upstream kinases organized into parallel kinase cascades. This introduction will not discuss these upstream kinases, but Fig. 1 illustrates the complexity of these cascades (1-4). Note that there appears to be cell-line specific variation within this circuitry, especially in relation to upstream activators of these cascades, although this remains a contentious issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]