Background
Serine/threonine kinase which acts as an essential component of the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway (PubMed:10094049, PubMed:11460167, PubMed:12589052, PubMed:16845370, PubMed:16893890, PubMed:21512573, PubMed:8663074, PubMed:9079627).
Plays an important role in the cascades of cellular responses evoked by changes in the environment (PubMed:10094049, PubMed:11460167, PubMed:12589052, PubMed:16845370, PubMed:16893890, PubMed:21512573, PubMed:8663074, PubMed:9079627).
Mediates signal transduction of TRAF6, various cytokines including interleukin-1 (IL-1), transforming growth factor-beta (TGFB), TGFB-related factors like BMP2 and BMP4, toll-like receptors (TLR), tumor necrosis factor receptor CD40 and B-cell receptor (BCR) (PubMed:16893890, PubMed:9079627).
Once activated, acts as an upstream activator of the MKK/JNK signal transduction cascade and the p38 MAPK signal transduction cascade through the phosphorylation and activation of several MAP kinase kinases like MAP2K1/MEK1, MAP2K3/MKK3, MAP2K6/MKK6 and MAP2K7/MKK7 (PubMed:11460167, PubMed:8663074).