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. 2014 Jun 19;8(6):e2949. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002949

Figure 8. Hypothetical S. mansoni MAPK signaling pathway.

Figure 8

(A) EGF activates the Ras/ERK signaling pathway. EGFR transmits the signal to the intracellular environment through the activation of Ras and sequential phosphorylation of SmRAF (ePK of TKL group and raf family), SmSTE7 (ePK of STE group and STE7family) and SmERK (ePK of CMGC group, MAPK family and ERK1/2 subfamily). Activated ERK translocates to the nucleus and inhibits the formation of the elk1/SRF complex and, in this case, oviposition remains constant. In B and C, SmRas or SmERK activity is interfered with (via RNAi) and the signal is not transmitted. Elk1 forms a complex with SRF which binds to the c-Fos promoter and this initiates c-Fos transcription that subsequently prevents the egg laying.