Expanding the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Universe: An Update on MAP4Ks

Lixia Pan; Ive De Smet

doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.01220

Expanding the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) Universe: An Update on MAP4Ks

Front Plant Sci. 2020 Aug 7:11:1220. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01220. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Lixia Pan^{1

2}, Ive De Smet^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

Phosphorylation-mediated signaling cascades control plant growth and development or the response to stress conditions. One of the best studied signaling cascades is the one regulated by MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASEs (MAPKs). However, MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE KINASE KINASE KINASEs (MAP4Ks) are hardly explored. Here, we will give a comprehensive overview of what is known about plant MAP4Ks and highlight some outstanding questions associated with this largely uncharacterized class of kinases in plants.

Keywords: MAP4Ks; development; kinases; phosphorylation; signaling; stress.

Publication types

Review