C-Jun N-terminal kinases

mitogen-activated protein kinase 8
Identifiers
Symbol	MAPK8
Alt. symbols	JNK1, PRKM8
NCBI gene	5599
HGNC	6881
OMIM	601158
RefSeq	NM_002750
UniProt	P45983
Other data
Locus	Chr. 10 q11.2
Search for Structures Swiss-model Domains InterPro

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), were originally identified as kinases that bind and phosphorylate c-Jun on Ser-63 and Ser-73 within its transcriptional activation domain. They belong to the mitogen-activated protein kinase family, and are responsive to stress stimuli, such as cytokines, ultraviolet irradiation, heat shock, and osmotic shock. They also play a role in T cell differentiation and the cellular apoptosis pathway. Activation occurs through a dual phosphorylation of threonine (Thr) and tyrosine (Tyr) residues within a Thr-Pro-Tyr motif located in kinase subdomain VIII. Activation is carried out by two MAP kinase kinases, MKK4 and MKK7, and JNK can be inactivated by Ser/Thr and Tyr protein phosphatases.^[1] It has been suggested that this signaling pathway contributes to inflammatory responses in mammals and insects. ^{[citation needed]}