Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
07:55
Subcellular Fractionation for ERK Activation Upon Mitochondrial-derived Peptide Treatment
Published on: September 25, 2017
The MAPK MEK1/2-ERK1/2 Pathway and Its Implication in Hepatocyte Cell Cycle Control
Jean-Philippe Guégan1, Christophe Frémin, Georges Baffet
1Inserm, U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé l'Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, SFR Biosit, 35043 Rennes, France ; IRSET, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Villejean, CS 34317, 35043 Rennes, France.
International Journal of Hepatology
|November 8, 2012
Summary
This study explores the MEK/ERK pathway
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Hepatology
Background:
- Primary hepatocyte cultures model cell cycle progression from G0 to S phase, mimicking liver regeneration.
- The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) ERK1/2 pathway is implicated in hepatocyte proliferation and is dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma.
- The specific roles of ERK1 and ERK2 in hepatocytes, especially concerning differentiation status, require further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the activation and roles of the MEK1/2-ERK1/2 cascade in normal rodent hepatocytes and human hepatocarcinoma cells.
- To examine the MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway's function in vitro and in vivo during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
- To discuss the potential specific functions of ERK1 and ERK2 in normal and transformed hepatocytes.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing primary hepatocyte cultures from rodents.
- Employing in vivo models of partial hepatectomy.
- Analyzing human hepatocarcinoma cell lines.
Main Results:
- The MEK1/2-ERK1/2 cascade is crucial for hepatocyte proliferation and response to growth factors like EGF.
- Dysregulation of this pathway contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma development.
- Evidence suggests potential context-dependent specificity of ERK1 and ERK2 in hepatocytes.
Conclusions:
- The MEK1/2-ERK1/2 pathway plays a significant role in hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration.
- Understanding ERK1/2 specificity is key to targeting hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Hepatocyte models are valuable for studying cell cycle regulation and MAPK signaling.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
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...
02:38Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
02:38Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
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...
01:22PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast, mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...
02:15M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis
Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...