Figure 13: Other pathways stimulated by aldosterone and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation.

MR activation by aldosterone leads to stimulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), either on its own or through activation of c-Src. Stimulation of EGFR leads to multiple cascading pathways, including the MEK/ERK and PI3K pathways (Figure 12), along with the JNK/SAPK pathways. MR-induced activation of c-Src can also lead to the activation of p38MAPK, a kinase pathway commonly known to be induced by cell stress or inflammatory cytokines. MAPK, mitogen activated protein kinase; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; MEK, MAPK/ERK kinase or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK, also known as MKK); MEKK, map kinase kinase kinase; PI3-K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. JNK/SAPK, c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinase; TGFβR, Transforming growth factor ß receptor.