Death or non-death under stress is determined by the regulation of MK2 protein level

Organisms are often exposed to pressure stimuli generated by external or internal factors, and they need to respond accordingly

Scientists led by ICREA researcher Dr.

Dr.

When cells are exposed to high levels of stress, the p38-MK2 pathway is continuously activated to promote the degradation of MK2 protein, which is related to cell death

"Using human and mouse cell lines to treat different stress stimuli, we showed that the MK2 expression level is affected by the stress intensity, and they emphasize that the viability of the cells is crucial," explained Dr.

Further research will explore whether the regulation of p38-MK2 pathway on intense or sustained stress is a common sensor for irreversible damage in cell types

This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) and the University of Catalonia and Research Fund Management Agency (AGAUR)

Original title:

MK2 degradation as a sensor of signal intensity that controls stress-induced cell fate