What does activated kinase do?
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an enzyme that works as a fuel gauge which becomes activated in situations of energy consumption. AMPK functions to restore cellular ATP levels by modifying diverse metabolic and cellular pathways.
What does MEK protein do?
MEK is a member of the MAPK signaling cascade that is activated in melanoma. When MEK is inhibited, cell proliferation is blocked and apoptosis (controlled cell death) is induced.
What does MEK kinase mean?
MEK stands for the MAPK/ERK kinase, and it is among the series of regulatory kinases targeting that pathway. It has a dual role, acting as both a serine/threonine kinase and a tyrosine kinase.
What do all phosphatases do?
A phosphatase is an enzyme that removes a phosphate group from a protein. Together, these two families of enzymes act to modulate the activities of the proteins in a cell, often in response to external stimuli.
What is AMPK good for?
Cells activate AMPK when they are running low on energy, and AMPK is activated in tissues throughout the body following exercise or during calorie restriction. In response, AMPK alters the activity of many other genes and proteins, helping keep cells alive and functioning even when they’re running low on fuel.
What is the difference between MAPK and MEK?
The MEK phosphorylates and activates a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). RAF and MAPK/ERK are both serine/threonine-specific protein kinases. MEK is a serine/tyrosine/threonine kinase. In a technical sense, RAF, MEK, and MAPK are all mitogen-activated kinases, as is MNK (see below).
What two substrates does the protein kinase MAPKKK have?
The activities of ERK1 and ERK2 had been routinely measured with two substrates, myelin basic protein (MBP) and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2); as a result, they had been called MBP and MAP2 kinases (9, 10).
What are protein phosphatases and why are they so important?
Protein phosphatases (PPs) control a large number of signaling processes in plants, and their inhibition disrupts many cellular processes, leading to death.