dictyNews
Electronic Edition
Volume 49, number 27
November 3 20, 2023

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Abstracts
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Atypical MAP kinases: New insights and directions from amoeba

Jeffrey A. Hadwiger, Ramee G. Aranda, and Saher Fatima

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State 
University, Stillwater, OK 74078-3020


Published in Journal of Cell Science
https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.261447 

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been the focus of 
many studies over the past several decades, but the understanding 
of one subgroup of MAPKs, orthologs of MAPK15, known as atypical 
MAPKs, has lagged behind others. In most organisms, specific 
activating signals or downstream responses of atypical MAPK 
signaling pathways have not yet been identified even though these 
MAPKs are associated with many eukaryotic processes including 
cancer and embryonic development. In this Review, we discuss recent 
studies that are shedding new light on both the regulation and 
function of atypical MAPKs in different organisms. In particular, 
the analysis of the atypical MAPK in the amoeba Dictyostelium 
discoideum has revealed important roles in chemotactic responses 
and gene regulation. The rapid and transient phosphorylation of 
the atypical MAPK in these responses suggest a highly regulated 
activation mechanism in vivo despite the ability of atypical MAPKs 
to autophosphorylate in vitro. Atypical MAPK function can also 
impact the activation of other MAPKs in amoeba.  These advances are 
providing new perspectives on possible MAPK roles in animals which 
have not been previously considered, and this might lead to the 
identification of potential targets for regulating cell movement in 
the treatment of diseases.


Submitted by Jeff Hadwiger [[log in to unmask]]
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Submitted by: Jonathan Chubb [[log in to unmask]]
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