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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Immunol. 2014 Mar 16;26(3):237–245. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2014.02.009

Figure 1. MAP kinase pathways.

Figure 1

A general feature of MAPK pathways is a canonical cascade consisting of a MAPK kinase kinases (MAP3K), a MAPK kinase (MAP2K) and a MAPK. Three groups of MAP kinases can be defined: ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase); JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase); and p38 MAP kinases. These pathways can be activated by many stimuli, including growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and a wide spectrum of cellular stresses. The MAP kinases can phosphorylate downstream targets, including protein kinases, cytosolic substrates, and transcription factors.