Hellenic Archives of Pathology, Volume 21, Issues 1-3, 2007, 6-15

The importance
of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) in cancer
Nomikos A.¹, Mylona E.², Nikolaou I3, Nakopolou L³
Pathology Departments of
¹Red Cross Hospital,
²Medical School and
³Attikon Hospital

ΜAP kinases, which belong to the large family of serine/threonine kinases, constitute major inflammatory signalling highways from the cell surface to the nucleus. They are activated by many different stimuli (e.g., mitogens, differentiation factors, stress signals) and participate in a diverse array of cellular programs, including cell proliferation and growth, cell differentiation, cell movement, cellular senescence, and cell death. The members of the different Map kinase groups participate in the generation of various cellular responses, including gene transcription, malignant transformation, and regulation of cell-cycle progression. Hence members of this family of kinases have come to be appreciated as attractive targets for drug development. This has led to current initiation of clinical trials in inflammatory disease states evaluating small molecule inhibitors of MAP kinase proteins and encouraging results have been obtained. This review focuses on the MAPK signal pathway, the consequences of its dysregulation in cancer, and its potential as an approach to cancer treatment.

Key words: MAP kinases, cancer, inflammation, therapy.

Full text in Greek