MITOGEN ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE: A VERSATILE SIGNALING CASCADE IN PLANTS

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade is evolutionarily conserved, universal signaling module that plays significant role invarious cellular signaling pathways in plants. MAPK cascade relies on transfer of information from sensor to three types of reversibly phosphorylated kinases,which lead to phosphorylation of substrate proteins due to which wide range of responses take place. These responses help plants to develop adaptive mechanisms to cope up with a number of abiotic and biotic stresses. These MAPKs are classified on the basis of their structure, functions and working mechanism.The interaction between different tiers of MAPK cascade is highly specific due to their canonical structure and widerange of subfamilies. Activation of a MAPK cascade exhibits specific as well as interrelated behavior.MAPK cascade work in a stipulated manner and generate specific responses towards certain information identified by sensors.In this review, weare discussing evolutionary and canonical structure, classification, activation mechanism and importance of MAPK in protecting plants from various stresses