BBSRC DTG studentship: How do cells adapt to loss of ERK1/2 signalling?

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From the moment of fertilisation onwards, cell division is subject to careful control throughout the lifetime of multicellular organisms, including man. Loss of this control can lead to developmental abnormalities and birth defects, whilst in later life de-regulated cell division can lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory disease. Cell division is coordinated by biochemical signal pathways inside cells; these pathways respond to environmental cues and instruct the cell to divide or not, depending on the circumstances. One such pathway involves a cascade of enzymes called the ERK1/2 pathway. This pathway plays a central role in the control of cell division and has emerged as an attractive target for new drugs, especially those directed against cancer. However it is still not fully clear how cells will respond long term to the inhibition or loss of ERK1/2 signalling and this is the goal off this project.

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