By Lufen Chang
ESI Special Topics,
November 2002
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/nhp/comments/november-02-LufenChang.html
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Lufen Chang answers a few questions about this month's
new hot paper in the field of Molecular Biology & Genetics.
From
•>>November 2002
Field: Molecular Biology & Genetics
Article Title: "Mammalian MAP kinase signalling cascades"
Authors: Chang,
LF;Karin, M
Journal: NATURE
Volume: 410
Page: 37-40
Year: MAR 1 2001
* Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Pharmacol, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA.
* Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Pharmacol, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA.
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 Why
do you think your paper is highly cited?
Mitogen-associated protein kinases (MAPKs) are multi-function
signal transducing enzymes, that are involved in many facets of
cellular regulation including gene expression, cell proliferation,
cell survival and cell death. Many researchers who are interested in
thes
fields of research have started to pay attention to MAPK cascades.
Initial research concentrated on defining the components and
organization of MAPK signaling cascades. We summarized and discussed
the pathophysiological functions of these cascades in mammals, which
may help readers to expand the knowledge in understanding MAPK
functions
Does
it describe a new discovery or new methodology that's useful to
others?
After the paper was published, many studies have demonstrated
that MAPK cascades have been linked to many human diseases, such as
inflammatory arthritis (1), cancer (2) and diabetes (3). Our paper
has discussed the idea of identification of physiological relevant
genes in responsive to MAPKs by DNA microarray, the substrates of
MAPKs by proteomic analysis as well as the specific inhibitors of
MAPK signaling. In addition to their utility in identifying MAPK
functions, it is likely that they will prove therapeutically
beneficial to these human diseases.
- (1) Han, Z.,
Boyle, D. L., Chang, L., Bennett, B., Karin, M., Yang, L.,
Manning, A. M., and Firestein, G. S. (2001). c-Jun N-terminal
kinase is required for metalloproteinase expression and joint
destruction in inflammatory arthritis. J Clin Invest 108,
73-81.
- (2) Hess, P.,
Pihan, G., Sawyers, C. L., Flavell, R. A., Davis, R. J. (2002).
Survival signaling mediated by c-Jun NH (2)-terminal kinase in
transformed B lymphoblasts. Nat Genet. 2002 Sep; 32(1):
201-5.
- (3) Hirosumi,
J., Tuncman, G., Chang, L., Gorgun, Z.C., Uysal, K.T., Maeda,
K., Karin, M., Hotamisligil, G. (2002). A central role for JNK1
in obesity and insulin resistance. Nature. in press.
What
were some of the circumstances that led you to do this research?
Dr. Michael Karin is a leading scientist in the signal
transduction field. He has made a significant contribution in
dissecting the function and the regulation of MAPK cascades. He is a
superb expert in gene expression and signal transduction. As a
predoctoral student studying the gene expression and the signal
transduction in response to nerve growth factor in Vanderbilt
University, I followed closely most of Dr. Karin's work. I realized
that I could learn an enormous amount from Dr. Karin. I am currently
studying the neuropathophysiological functions of one of the MAPK
subfamily by detailed examination of mutated mice generated in Dr.
Karin's lab.
Could
you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?
It is becoming clear that Mammalian MAPK signaling cascades
regulate almost all cellular processes, from gene expression to cell
death. Most importantly, they have been implicated in the
pathogenesis of some human diseases. Characterization of the
pathophysiological functions of these signaling cascades may help to
provide a clear understanding of the molecular mechanism of the
diseases, caused by deregulation of MAPK cascades.
Lufen Chang
Postdoctoral fellow currently supported by NRSA fellowships from
NIH.
Department of Pharmacology
University of California, San Diego.
9500 Gilman Drive,
La Jolla, CA 92093
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ESI Special Topics,
November 2002
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/nhp/comments/november-02-LufenChang.html
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