REVIEW

Cell Research (2008): 452-457
© 2008 IBCB, SIBS, CAS All rights reserved 1001-0602/06 $ 30.00
www.nature.com/cr

Raf kinase inhibitory protein: a signal transduction modulator and metastasis suppressor

Alexey E Granovsky and Marsha Rich Rosner

Correspondence: Marsha Rich Rosner m-rosner@uchicago.edu

Download as printable (PDF) file Full Text (html)file Search Medline for articles by: Alexey E Granovsky

Cells have a multitude of controls to maintain their integrity and prevent random switching from one biological state to another. Raf Kinase Inhibitory Protein (RKIP), a member of the phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein (PEBP) family, is representative of a new class of modulators of signaling cascades that function to maintain the "yin yang" or balance of biological systems. RKIP inhibits MAP kinase (Raf-MEK-ERK), G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinase and NFκB signaling cascades. Because RKIP targets different kinases dependent upon its state of phosphorylation, RKIP also acts to integrate crosstalk initiated by multiple environmental stimuli. Loss or depletion of RKIP results in disruption of the normal cellular stasis and can lead to chromosomal abnormalities and disease states such as cancer. Since RKIP and the PEBP family have been reviewed previously, the goal of this analysis is to provide an update and highlight some of the unique features of RKIP that make it a critical player in the regulation of cellular signaling processes.

Cell Research (2008) 18:452-457. doi: 10.1038/cr.2008.43; published online 1 April 2008

Keywords: Raf Kinase, metastasis, signal transduction, inhibitor