Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
05:06
Tumor Allotransplantation in Drosophila melanogaster with a Programmable Auto-Nanoliter Injector
Published on: February 2, 2021
JNK regulation of oncogenesis
Lynn E Heasley1, Sun-Young Han
1Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA. lynn.heasley@UCHSC.edu
Molecules and Cells
|May 10, 2006
Summary
The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) have dual roles in cancer, acting as both tumor promoters and suppressors. Understanding these context-dependent functions is crucial for developing effective JNK inhibitor therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Signaling
Background:
- The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are implicated in oncogenesis.
- JNKs are activated by oncogenes and growth factors, influencing cell proliferation and transformation.
- Conversely, JNKs can mediate cell death and differentiation, suggesting tumor suppressor roles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the dualistic roles of JNKs in cancer.
- To elucidate the complex and context-dependent functions of JNKs in oncogenesis.
- To inform the therapeutic application of JNK inhibitors.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on JNK signaling in cancer.
Main Results:
- JNKs exhibit both pro-tumorigenic and tumor suppressor activities.
- Activation of JNKs by oncogenes promotes proliferation and transformation.
- JNK signaling also mediates tumor-suppressive effects like cell death and differentiation.
Conclusions:
- The function of JNKs in cancer is highly context-dependent.
- Further research is needed to fully understand JNK pathways in various cancer types.
- Targeting JNK signaling with inhibitors requires careful consideration of their specific roles in different cancers.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
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...
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...
01:07MAPK Signaling Cascades
Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
01:20The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Several cytokine receptors have tightly bound Janus kinase or JAK proteins attached at their cytosolic tail. Small signaling molecules such as cytokines, growth hormones, or prolactins bind to the cytokine receptors and initiate their dimerization. The dimerization brings the cytosolic JAKs together that trans-phosphorylate and activates each other. The activated JAKs now phosphorylate cytosolic tails of the cytokine receptors, which serve as binding sites for adaptor proteins such as SH2...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
02:26NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...