Cell Signaling Technology

G-Protein-Coupled Receptors Signaling to MAPK/Erk

G-Protein-Coupled Receptors Signaling to MAPK/ERK

Pathway Description:

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are activated by a wide variety of external stimuli. Upon receptor activation, the G-protein exchanges GDP for GTP, causing the dissociation of the GTP-bound α and β/γ subunits and triggering diverse signaling cascades. Receptors coupled to different heterotrimeric G-protein subtypes can utilize different scaffolds to activate the small G-protein/MAPK cascade, employing at least three different classes of Tyr kinases. Src family kinases are recruited following activation of PI3Kγ by β/γ subunits. They are also recruited by receptor internalization, cross-activation of receptor Tyr kinases, or by signaling through an integrin scaffold involving Pyk2 and/or FAK. GPCRs can also employ PLCβ to mediate activation of PKC and CaMKII, which can have either stimulatory or inhibitory consequences for the downstream MAPK pathway.

Selected Reviews:

CST would like to thank Prof. John Blenis, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, for reviewing this diagram.

created October 2002 • revised December 2006

Reference