An Activating Mutation in ERK Causes Hyperplastic Tumors in a scribble Mutant Tissue in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling plays prominent roles in tumorigenesis, and activating oncogenic point mutations in the core pathway components Ras, Raf, or MEK are prevalent in many types of cancer. Intriguingly, however, analogous oncogenic mutations in the downstream effector kinase ERK have not been described or validated in vivo To determine if a point mutation could render ERK intrinsically active and oncogenic, we have assayed in Drosophila the effects of a mutation that confers constitutive activity upon a yeast ERK ortholog and has also been identified in a few human tumors. Our analyses indicate that a fly ERK ortholog harboring this mutation alone (Rolled^R80S), and more so in conjunction with the known sevenmaker mutation (Rolled^R80S+D334N

SUBMITTER: Kushnir T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6944410 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature