P38MAPK signal transduction pathway and tissue lesion

Mitogen-activated protein kinase,a kind of serine and tyrosine kinase,is widely expressed in mammalian cells,which plays an important role in a variety of signal transduction pathways.There are four subtribes in MAPK including ERK,JNK,p38MAPK and ERK5,among which p38MAPK signal transduction pathway plays pivotal roles in various physiological and pathological events,such as inflammation,cell stress,apoptosis,cell cycle and growth.The isomers and distribution of p38MAPK,and cytokines associated with p38MAPK pathway and their roles in tissue damages are reviewed in this article,which may provide understanding for wound severity and wound age estimation in the research field of forensic pathology.