CGC Bibliography Paper 5370

A conserved p38 MAP kinase pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans innate immunity.

Kim DH, Feinbaum R, Alloing G, Emerson FE, Garsin DA, Inoue H, Tanaka-Hino M, Hisamoto N, Matsumoto K, Tan MW, Ausubel FM

Medline:

12142542

Citation:

Science 297: 623-626 2002

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

esp-2 esp-8 glp-4 nsy-1 pmk-1 pmk-2 sek-1 unc-43

Abstract:

A genetic screen for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants with enhanced susceptibility to killing by Pseudomonas aeruginosa led to the identification of two genes required for pathogen resistance: sek-1, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase, and nsy-1, which encodes a MAP kinase kinase kinase. RNA interference assays and biochemical analysis established that a p38 ortholog, pmk-1, functions as the downstream MAP kinase required for pathogen defense. These data suggest that this MAP kinase signaling cassette represents an ancient feature of innate immune responses in evolutionarily diverse