PathScan^® Cell Growth 4-Plex Array Kit #7136

Cells must respond in an appropriate fashion to many complex signaling events. Extracellular signaling cues are organized into well defined signal transduction modules that control fundamental cellular behavior. Two prominent signaling modules that are among the best characterized are the p44/42 MAP kinase (ERK MAPK) and Akt signal transduction pathways. These signaling modules control cellular growth, proliferation, movement, survival and death. The p44/42 MAPK is activated by a wide variety of extracellular signals including growth and neurotrophic factors, cytokines, hormones and neurotransmitters. p44/42 MAPK activation occurs through phosphorylation of threonine and tyrosine at the sequence T*EY* by a dual specificity kinase called MAP kinase kinase (MEK). The Akt protein kinase is generally activated in response to growth-factor stimulation and phosphorylated on Ser473. Growth factor stimulation results in phosphorylation of S6 ribosomal protein on Ser235/236, leading to an increase in protein synthesis and cell cycle progression. Phosphorylation levels of critical molecular switches such as MAPs and Akt therefore serve as a reliable indicator of the activation state of the entire signaling module. The profiling of phosphorylation events using phospho-specific antibodies is now widely used to investigate diagnostic pathology (1,2). For example, increased levels of Akt phosphorylated at Ser473 coupled with decreased levels of phospho-p44/42 predicts poor clinical outcome in prostate cancer patients (3). The PathScan^® Cell Growth 4-Plex Array Kit provides the researcher with means to profile numerous chemical compounds and obtain in-cell relative potency (4).