MAPK/ERK pathway

Molecular pathway that starts via membrane-bound receptor binding and leads to transcriptional changes. Mutation to this pathway is a necessary step in the development of many cancers.

Description
An extracellular mitogen binds to a receptor, which transducers the signal into the cell. ERKs, or extracellular signal-regulated kinases also called classical MAP kinases are widely expressed and central intracellular kinase signaling molecules. MAPKs, or mitogen-activated protein kinase, are a larger group of proteins involved in mitogenic, stress, differentiation, and survival processes.