MAP2K1/MEK1 is a dual-specificity protein kinase critical to the MAP kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway. Upon extracellular ligand binding (e.g., growth factors, cytokines, hormones) to cell-surface receptors, RAS activation initiates the activation of RAF1, which subsequently activates MAP2K1/MEK1 and MAP2K2/MEK2. These kinases phosphorylate threonine and tyrosine residues in the Thr-Glu-Tyr motif of MAPK3/ERK1 and MAPK1/ERK2, activating them and propagating the MAPK/ERK cascade.
MAP2K1/MEK1 also activates BRAF in a KSR1/KSR2-dependent manner by facilitating KSR1/KSR2-BRAF dimerization. This cascade regulates diverse cellular processes, including growth, adhesion, survival, and differentiation, through transcription, metabolism, and cytoskeletal rearrangements. It targets nuclear receptor PPARG, promoting its export from the nucleus to mediate differentiation and apoptosis. Additionally, the pathway influences endosomal dynamics, lysosome processing, endosome cycling, and Golgi apparatus fragmentation during mitosis, highlighting its essential role in cellular signaling and structural organization.
| Product Name | Recombinant Human MEK1 (mutated K97 A) Protein |
| Accession | Q02750 |
| Host Species | Human |
| Gene | MAP2K1 |
| Source | E.coli |
