Host-pathogen interaction of human coronaviruses - MAPK signaling (Homo sapiens)

Jump to: navigation, search

This pathway describes the activation of the human MAPK signaling system during human coronavirus infection, per Fung and Liu, Figure 7 [10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-115759]. The MAPK signaling system regulates response to different environmental stimuli, e.g. inflammation due to infection. Its downstream effects include regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, differentiation and immune response. During coronavirus infection, three MAPK signaling pathways were studied and described. The p38 pathway (MAPK11 - MAPK14) leads to stimulation of apoptosis via CHOP (DDIT3) while the ERK pathway (MAPK1 and MAPK3) counteracts apoptosis stimulation and supports cell survival by stimulating ATF2 and FOS. The JNK pathway (MAPK 8 - MAPK10) inhibits cell survival protein BCL2, thus stimulating apoptosis but also stimulating the AP1 complex that leads to the production of effectors to fight the infection. The interplay of apoptosis stimulation and cell survival is not yet fully understood in SARS-CoV-2 infection.