Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 28, 2025

An Adipocyte Cell Culture Model to Study the Impact of Protein and Micro-RNA Modulation on Adipocyte Function
09:20

An Adipocyte Cell Culture Model to Study the Impact of Protein and Micro-RNA Modulation on Adipocyte Function

Published on: May 4, 2021

4.1K

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and Obesity-Related Cancer

Fionán Donohoe1, Michael Wilkinson1, Eva Baxter2

  • 1Ireland East Hospital Gynaeoncology Group, UCD School of Medicine, Mater Misericordiae University, D07R2WY Dublin 7, Ireland.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|February 20, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Obesity increases cancer risk through complex molecular pathways. This review explores how mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling contributes to obesity-related cancers, focusing on p38 and JNK pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Obesity is a global health issue linked to increased cancer incidence.
  • The molecular mechanisms connecting obesity and cancer remain incompletely understood.
  • Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways are implicated in cellular processes relevant to cancer development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of MAPK signaling in obesity-related cancers.
  • To elucidate the molecular links between MAPK pathways (p38, JNK) and cancer development in obesity.
  • To identify potential areas for future research in this field.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on MAPK signaling pathways (p38, JNK, ERK).
  • Analysis of MAPK involvement in obesity-related immune dysfunction.
  • Examination of MAPK effects on endoplasmic reticulum stress and aromatase activation.

Main Results:

  • MAPK signaling, particularly p38 and JNK, plays a role in obesity-related immune paralysis.
  • MAPK pathways influence endoplasmic reticulum stress responses relevant to cancer.
  • MAPK activation is linked to aromatase activity, a factor in hormone-sensitive cancers.

Conclusions:

  • MAPK signaling is a key mediator linking obesity to increased cancer risk.
  • Further research into p38 and JNK pathways could reveal therapeutic targets for obesity-related cancers.
  • Specific cancers like endometrioid endometrial cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (associated with NAFLD/NASH) offer promising avenues for investigation.
Keywords:
MAPKcancerendometrial cancerhepatocellular cancerobesity

More Related Videos

Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis08:34

Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis

Published on: June 3, 2016

15.6K
Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

564

Related Concept Videos

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR 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...
4.5K
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/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...
5.1K
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK 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...
7.7K
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions 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...
7.1K
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:06

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic...
5.2K
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens 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...
7.6K