Stress- and mitogen-activated signal transduction in hematopoietic cells

The ability of an organism to respond to its environment is critical to survival. The mechanisms by which cells recognize and interpret different stimuli vary enormously and can be manifested by proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, or altered metabolic activity. Recently, a series of signaling cascades was identified that links actions on the cell surface with activation or suppression of transcription. These signals are transmitted via phosphorylation and include the stress-activated protein kinases and the mitogen-activated protein kinases. This review describes these cascades in reference to the hematopoietic cell lineages.