Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Methods for the Modulation and Analysis of NF-κB-dependent Adult Neurogenesis
Published on: February 14, 2014
Neuronal p38 MAPK signalling: an emerging regulator of cell fate and function in the nervous system
Kohsuke Takeda1, Hidenori Ichijo
1Laboratory of Cell Signalling, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Japan.
Abstract:
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), together with extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), constitute the MAPK family. Multiple intracellular signalling pathways that converge on MAPKs exist in all eukaryotic cells and play pivotal roles in a wide variety of cellular functions. p38 MAPKs and JNKs, also termed stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), are preferentially activated by various cytotoxic stresses and cytokines and appear to be potent regulators of stress-induced apoptosis. Whereas JNKs have been shown to play pivotal roles in the regulation of neuronal apoptosis, the role of p38 MAPKs in the nervous system is poorly understood. However, accumulating evidence from mammalian cell culture systems and the strong genetic tool C. elegans suggests that neuronal p38 signalling has diverse functions beyond the control of cell death and survival. This review focuses on possible roles for the p38 pathway in the nervous system, with principal emphasis placed on the roles in neuronal cell fate decision and function.
Related Concept Videos
Negative Regulator Molecules
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade
MAPK Signaling Cascades

