Dual specificity protein phosphatase 7 is an enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

 that in humans is encoded by the DUSP7 gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

Dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) constitute a large heterogeneous subgroup of the type I cysteine-based protein-tyrosine phosphatase superfamily. DUSPs are characterized by their ability to de-phosphorylate

Phosphorylation

Phosphorylation is the addition of a phosphate group to a protein or other organic molecule. Phosphorylation activates or deactivates many protein enzymes....

 both tyrosine

Tyrosine

Tyrosine or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine, is one of the 22 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. Its codons are UAC and UAU. It is a non-essential amino acid with a polar side group...

  and serine

Serine

Serine is an amino acid with the formula HO2CCHCH2OH. It is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. By virtue of the hydroxyl group, serine is classified as a polar amino acid.-Occurrence and biosynthesis:...

 / threonine

Threonine

Threonine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCHCHCH3. Its codons are ACU, ACA, ACC, and ACG. This essential amino acid is classified as polar...

  residues. DUSP7 belongs to a class of DUSPs, designated MKPs, that dephosphorylate MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

Mitogen-activated protein kinases are serine/threonine-specific protein kinases that respond to extracellular stimuli and regulate various cellular activities, such as gene expression, mitosis, differentiation, proliferation, and cell survival/apoptosis.-Activation:MAP kinases are activated...

) proteins ERK

MAPK3

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAPK3 gene.-Interactions:MAPK3 has been shown to interact with PTPN7, SPIB, GTF2I, DUSP3, HDAC4, RPS6KA2, MAP2K1, DUSP6 and MAP2K2.-Further reading:...

, JNK

MAPK8

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAPK8 gene.-Interactions:MAPK8 has been shown to interact with SPIB, DUSP1, Activating transcription factor 2, SH3BP5, GSTP1, MAPK8IP1, MAP2K7, CRK, MAP2K4, DUSP22, Myc, MAP3K2, DUSP10, REL, MAPK8IP3, IRS1, MAP3K1 and...

, and p38

MAPK14

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 14, also called p38-α, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAPK14 gene.-Interactions:MAPK14 has been shown to interact with Casein kinase 2, alpha 1, RPS6KA4, MAPKAPK2, CDC25B, DUSP1, ZFP36L1, CDC25C, MAPKAPK3, Activating transcription factor 2, MAPK1,...

 with specificity distinct from that of individual MKP proteins. MKPs contain a highly conserved C-terminal catalytic domain and an N-terminal Cdc25

CDC25A

Cell division cycle 25 homolog A , also known as CDC25A, is a mammalian gene.-Interactions:CDC25A has been shown to interact with ASK1, Epidermal growth factor receptor, C-Raf, CHEK1, Cyclin E1, PIM1 and YWHAB.-Further reading:...

-like (CH2) domain. MAPK activation cascades mediate various physiologic processes, including cellular proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and stress responses.

It is known to bind and phosphorylate ErkII, and as it, along with the other members of the DUSP family expresses high selectively for MAP kinases, it has been suggested that it functions as a method for selectively activating/deactivating different members of that family.

Further reading