Each antibody in the Phospho-Erk1/2 Pathway Sampler Kit recognizes only the phosphorylated form of its specific target.
Source / Purification
Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies are produced by immunizing rabbits with synthetic phosphopeptides corresponding to residues surrounding Ser338 of human Raf, Ser217/221 of human MEK1/2, Thr202/Tyr204 of human p44 MAP kinase, Ser380 of human p90RSK or Thr581 of human MSK1. Polyclonal antibodies are purified by protein A and peptide affinity chromatography.
Description
The Phospho-Erk1/2 Pathway Sampler Kit provides an economical means of evaluating multiple members of the Erk pathway as well as their activation state. The kit contains enough primary and secondary antibodies to perform four Western blot experiments.
Background
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are a widely conserved family of serine/threonine protein kinases involved in many cellular programs such as cell proliferation, differentiation, motility, and death. The p44/42 MAPK (Erk1/2) signaling pathway can be activated in response to a diverse range of extracellular stimuli including mitogens, growth factors, and cytokines (1-3) and is an important target in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer (4). Upon stimulation, a sequential three-part protein kinase cascade is initiated, consisting of a MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK or MAP3K), a MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK or MAP2K), and a MAP kinase (MAPK). Multiple p44/42 MAP3Ks have been identified, including members of the Raf family as well as Mos and Tpl2/Cot. MEK1 and MEK2 are the primary MAPKKs in this pathway (5,6). MEK1 and MEK2 activate p44 and p42 through phosphorylation of activation loop residues Thr202/Tyr204 and Thr185/Tyr187, respectively. Several downstream targets of p44/42 have been identified, including p90RSK (7) and the transcription factor Elk-1 (8,9). p44/42 are negatively regulated by a family of dual-specificity (Thr/Tyr) MAPK phosphatases, known as DUSPs or MKPs (10), along with MEK inhibitors such as U0126 and PD98059.