Mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 also known as MAP kinase 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 MAPK7 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

MAPK7 is a member of the MAP kinase family. MAP kinases act as an integration point for multiple biochemical signals, and are involved in a wide variety of cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, transcription regulation and development. This kinase is specifically activated by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 (MAP2K5

MAP2K5

Dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAP2K5 gene.-Upstream:This kinase itself can be phosphorylated and activated by MAP3K3/MEKK3, as well as by atypical protein kinase C isoforms .-Interactions:MAP2K5 has been shown to interact...

/MEK5). It is involved in the downstream signaling processes of various receptor molecules including receptor tyrosine kinase

Receptor tyrosine kinase

Receptor tyrosine kinases s are the high-affinity cell surface receptors for many polypeptide growth factors, cytokines, and hormones. Of the 90 unique tyrosine kinase genes identified in the human genome, 58 encode receptor tyrosine kinase proteins....

s, and G protein-coupled receptor

G protein-coupled receptor

G protein-coupled receptors , also known as seven-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptor, and G protein-linked receptors , comprise a large protein family of transmembrane receptors that sense molecules outside the cell and activate inside signal...

s. In response to extracellular signals, this kinase translocates to the cell nucleus, where it regulates gene expression by phosphorylating

Phosphorylation

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

, and activating different transcription factor

Transcription factor

In molecular biology and genetics, a transcription factor is a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA...

s. Four alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene encoding two distinct isoforms have been reported.

MAPK7 is also critical for cardiovascular development and is essential for endothelial

Endothelium

The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall. These cells are called endothelial cells. Endothelial cells line the entire circulatory system, from the heart...

 cell function.

Interactions

MAPK7 has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with SGK

SGK

Serine/threonine-protein kinase SGK is a kinase subfamily that is currently known as being encoded by SGK1, SGK2, and SGK3 genes.The SGK1 kinase regulates the myo-inositol transporter during osmotic stress....

, MEF2C

MEF2C

Myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C also known as MADS box transcription enhancer factor 2, polypeptide C is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MEF2C gene. MEF2C is a transcription factor in the Mef2 family.-Genomics:...

, YWHAB

YWHAB

14-3-3 protein beta/alpha is a protein that in humans is encoded by the YWHAB gene.-Interactions:YWHAB has been shown to interact with CDC25A, CDC25B, BRAF, C-Raf, RPS6KA1, EPB41L3, CD29, Wee1-like protein kinase, PTPN3, Protein kinase Mζ, MAPK7, TESK1, TNFAIP3, Cbl gene, HDAC4 and KCNK3.-Further...

, MEF2D

MEF2D

Myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2D is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MEF2D gene.-Interactions:MEF2D has been shown to interact with YWHAQ, MAPK7, EP300, Sp1 transcription factor, Myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2A, NFATC2 and CABIN1....

, C-Raf

C-Raf

RAF proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase also known as proto-oncogene c-RAF or simply c-Raf is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the RAF1 gene. The c-Raf protein functions in the MAPK/ERK signal transduction pathway as part of a protein kinase cascade...

, PTPRR

PTPRR

Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type R is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PTPRR gene.-Further reading:...

, Gap junction protein, alpha 1

Gap junction protein, alpha 1

-Interactions:Gap junction protein, alpha 1 has been shown to interact with MAPK7, Caveolin 1, Tight junction protein 1 CSNK1D, and PTPmu .-Further reading:...

 and MAP2K5

MAP2K5

Dual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAP2K5 gene.-Upstream:This kinase itself can be phosphorylated and activated by MAP3K3/MEKK3, as well as by atypical protein kinase C isoforms .-Interactions:MAP2K5 has been shown to interact...

.

Further reading