[MAP kinase pathways--their evolution and role in some neurodegenerative diseases]

The scientific literature is rich in reports concerning the participation of MAP kinases in various aspects of the physiology of different organisms. There are, however few papers devoted to the evolution of these pathways. This paper offers a survey of the scientific literature describing how MAP kinase pathways have evolved. Why is the cascade of protein phosphorylation on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues more advantageous in Eucaryota than the two-component regulatory system, based on the phosphorylation of histidine and aspartic acid, which predominates in bacteria? How were these pathways formed and evolved? Finally, how important role do they play in the physiology of human organism? Disturbances in the proper functioning of the MAP kinase pathways lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and the emergence of various diseases including cancer. Because the average life span has lenghtened we hear more and more often about neurodegenerative diseases that lead to dementia or paralysis. Disturbances in the proper functioning of the MAP kinase pathways in neurodegenerative diseases have also been reported recently. Therefore, in this paper I present the current state of research on the dysfunction of these pathways in three diseases: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).