MAPK1

Overview

MAPK1 encodes mitogen-activated protein kinase 1, also known as ERK2, a serine/threonine kinase in the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade. This pathway transduces extracellular growth and stress signals from upstream regulators such as RAF and MEK to downstream effectors that control proliferation, differentiation, survival, migration, and metabolic adaptation. Because of its central position in signal transduction, MAPK1 is frequently evaluated in cancer biology and other disease contexts as a readout of pathway activation, typically through its phosphorylated form, phosphorylated ERK.

In biomedical research, MAPK1 is often studied alongside related signaling nodes including KRAS, FLT3, Akt1, STAT5A, VEGFA, and ESR1, reflecting its role in broader oncogenic and tissue-response networks. Recent studies have used MAPK1 as a mechanistic marker of pathway inhibition, a docking target in computational screening, and a candidate gene in regulatory analyses such as microRNA-target prediction. These investigations collectively reinforce MAPK1 as a key mediator of MAPK/ERK signaling in cancer, metabolic disease, and regenerative biology.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications have continued to implicate MAPK1 as a recurring target in cancer-related signaling studies, particularly in work centered on the MAPK/ERK axis and its crosstalk with PI3K/Akt-related pathways. In hepatocellular carcinoma, a synthesized urolithin derivative, compound 11e, was identified through network pharmacology and molecular docking as interacting with key targets including MAPK1, alongside EGFR, Akt1, and CASP3. The study reported that compound 11e inhibited HCC cell migration, induced G2/M cell-cycle arrest, and promoted apoptosis, while western blotting showed suppression of AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, supporting inhibition of PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling.

MAPK1 also appeared in a multi-omics and docking analysis of coumarin metabolites from Ocimum, where several bioactive coumarins were predicted to bind key proteins including MAPK1. These compounds were enriched in cancer- and inflammation-related pathways such as PI3K-Akt and Ras/MAPK, and the authors highlighted strong docking affinities for hub proteins including EGFR, MAPK1, and CCND1. The work was primarily predictive, linking chemical diversity in Ocimum coumarins to potential multi-target anticancer activity rather than reporting direct functional validation of MAPK1 modulation.

In another study, plasma exosomal miR-106b-5p was investigated in osteoporosis, with MAPK1 listed among the target genes associated with the miRNA. The abstract indicates that the study aimed to explore the expression, function, and regulatory mechanism of exosomal miR-106b-5p in osteoporosis and to identify diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, but it does not provide detailed experimental outcomes for MAPK1 specifically in the abstract.

MAPK1 was also identified as a high-affinity docking target in a toxicology-focused study of di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DOTP). Using network toxicology, machine learning, molecular docking, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics, the authors prioritized MAPK1 among six carcinogenic targets with strong predicted affinity for DOTP. Experimental validation showed that DOTP promoted tumor cell proliferation and increased PTPN11 and ESR1 protein levels in a concentration-dependent manner, with the broader analysis suggesting interference with proliferative and carcinogenic signaling pathways, especially PI3K-Akt-mTOR.

Additional recent work linked MAPK1 to arecoline-induced metastatic behavior in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and to EGCG-mediated attenuation of migration and invasion, with the abstract specifically noting association with EGFR/AKT/P38 signaling. Although the abstract does not detail MAPK1-specific results, it places the protein within a signaling context relevant to metastatic progression. Collectively, these publications portray MAPK1 as a repeatedly implicated node in cancer, metabolic, and toxicology studies, most often through computational prediction or pathway-level analysis centered on MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling.

Key Publications

NEWJul Epigallocatechin Gallate Attenuates Arecoline-induced Migration and Invasion in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells Associated With EGFR/AKT/P38 Signaling. (Anticancer research, 2026, PMID 42373249): "Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, has exhibited anti-cancer and anti-metastatic activity in multiple tumor models."
Jun Coumarin metabolites in Ocimum: chemical diversity, biosynthetic pathways, and network pharmacology-based prediction of multi-target anticancer potential. (Plant molecular biology, 2026, PMID 42236954): "...showing strong binding affinities to key proteins (e.g., EGFR, MAPK1, CCND1; docking scores ≤ -6 kcal/mol)."
May Plasma Exosomal miR-106b-5p Is Associated With Osteoporosis by Targeting SMAD5, BMP2, and MAPK1 Genes. (In vivo (Athens, Greece), 2026, PMID 42049413): "This study aimed to explore the expression, function, and regulatory mechanism of exosomal miR-106b-5p in osteoporosis (OP), to identify a novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets."
Jun MTPN drives noncanonical ERK hyperactivation in colorectal cancer and provides a promising therapeutic approach for precision medicine in CRC. (Oncogene, 2026, PMID 42009970): "MTPN is involved in a noncanonical, endoplasmic-reticulum (ER)-associated mechanism that drives ERK activation in CRC."
Jun Synthesis and evaluation of Urolithins derivatives as anticancer agents for hepatocellular carcinoma: In vitro, molecular docking, and dynamics simulations. (Bioorganic chemistry, 2026, PMID 41855633): "Moreover, integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses identified several key targets, including EGFR, AKT1, MAPK1, and CASP3, suggesting a multi-target mechanism involving regulation of the PI3K/Akt and MAPK signaling pathways."
May The structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, rheological behavior and anti-obesity effects of polysaccharides from Pueraria lobata: In-depth study focusing on the gut microbiota-hepatic FGF21 signaling. (Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 2026, PMID 41819911): "Metabolomics and multi-omics analyses indicated UPLP modulated amino acid, linoleic acid, and tryptophan metabolism, and activated hepatic FGF21 signaling (AKT, ERK, STAT3), promoting fatty acid β-oxidation and suppressing inflammation."
May Di-(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate promotes breast cancer progression: Multi-omics integrated experimental validation. (Chemico-biological interactions, 2026, PMID 41780785): "Subsequently, we used molecular docking to identify six carcinogenic targets with high affinity for DOTP (PIK3CA, PTPN11, ESR1, PPARG, PTGS2, and MAPK1)."
Jul Drp1-Dependent Mitochondrial Fission is Involved in Adriamycin Resistance in Gastric Cancer Cells: A Perspective from the BATF2/p53/ERK Regulatory Axis. (The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine, 2025, PMID 40670090): "Meanwhile, BATF2 overexpression also achieved the reversal of ADR in GC cells by inhibiting the phosphorylation level of ERK."