Extracellular-signal Regulated Kinases
From the family of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (also known as extracellular signal-regulated kinases ), ERK for short , eight isoforms of this enzyme are known so far , which are designated ERK 1-8. They belong to the mitogen-activated kinases ( MAP kinases ) and, according to their modified groups, belong to the serine / threonine kinases .
The intracellular signal transduction via the ERK cascade is activated by various extracellular signals and in turn regulates cellular processes, such as e.g. B. proliferation and cell differentiation . Since these are fundamental cell biological processes that can affect different areas of the human organism , the influence of these enzymes is examined in various areas of medical research.
The Cancer Research has shown that ERKs in the oncogenic transformation of cells, that is, at the change of normal cells into cancer cells , are involved. By inhibiting the ERK with specific active substances, the course of epilepsy could be positively influenced in animal experiments on rats , which may enable new therapeutic approaches . With regard to cocaine addiction, it was also shown in rats that activating the ERK in certain areas of the brain increased the desire for the drug , whereas blocking the ERK activation decreased the desire.