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Localized activation of RTK/MAPK pathways during Drosophila development
Author(s) -
Bier Ethan
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(199803)20:3<189::aid-bies1>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - mapk/erk pathway , microbiology and biotechnology , phosphorylation , signal transduction , biology , kinase , receptor tyrosine kinase , receptor protein tyrosine kinases , tyrosine , function (biology) , biochemistry
Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling is mediated by a signaling cascade culminating in activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) by double phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues. The pattern of MAPK activation can now be directly visualized in situ during embryonic and adult development using an antiserum is specific for the double phosphorylated form of MAPK (db‐P MAPK). 1,2 The pattern of MAPK activation detected by this antiserum in developing embryos and larval imaginal discs conforms remarkably well to the inferred pattern of known RTK function. In addition, db‐P MAPK staining directly reveals features of signaling such as the range of signal spreading and the kinetics of RTK activation, which would be difficult to measure by other methods. The ability to visualize the output of RTK signaling also permits detailed establishment of epistatic relationships between signaling components of RTK cascades. BioEssays 20 :189–194, 1998.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.