Signal transduction and the regulation of cell growth.
The need to understand and characterize critical steps controlling mitogenesis is a problem being addressed in many laboratories today. Genetic damage in cancer cells is a universal characteristic, and the search for the targets of this damage has led to the study of numerous complex signal transduction pathways which are involved in regulating cellular proliferation and differentiation. One important signal transduction cascade involved in controlling mitogenesis is the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. It is now clear that both tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors and G protein-coupled receptors regulate this pathway. Recent work from many groups has resulted in the initial characterization of the events that lead to mitogen-activated protein kinase activation by these different receptors. This review will contain a brief background of G proteins and their potential role in controlling cell growth.