Cloning and expression of parasitic mitogen‐activated protein kinase

Mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are involved in a wide variety of processes in many types of cells and in may different organisms. Human MAPKs are known to be responsive to stress stimuli and are involved in apoptosis and cell differentiation. Parasite and plant MAPKs are also involved in stress responses. These MAPKs have been identified in the Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, in the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum and trypanosome protozoa Leshmania mexicana. The purpose of this research is to clone and express the Leshmania mexicana MAPK in a heterologous expression system so that further biochemical characterization of the protein may be done.