Molecular roles of MAP kinases and FADD phosphorylation in prostate cancer.

Mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases are well known serine threonine kinases that modulate gene expression, mitosis, cell proliferation and programmed cell death or 'apoptosis' in response to various stresses. Extracellular stress regulated kinase (ERK), c-jun NH2 terminal kinase and p38 are major members of the MAP kinases, and there is now a body of evidence of their involvement in genesis or sensitivity to chemotherapy of human prostate cancers. In this review, we focus on the molecular roles of MAP kinases and their pathological correlations, with particular attention to novel downstream signals through phosphorylation of the Fas-associated death domain protein that effectively regulates not only apoptosis but also the cell cycle in prostate neoplastic cells.