ERK4/MAPK4

ERK4 (MAPK4) is the close paralog of ERK3 and shares its unusual design: a single SEG-type phosphorylation site rather than a TEY motif, constitutive phosphorylation in cells, an extended C-terminal region, and rapid turnover through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. It binds and activates MAPK-activated protein kinase 5 in the same manner as ERK3, and the two kinases have overlapping but not identical expression patterns and roles in cell migration, cytoskeletal organization, and stress responses. Because ERK4 lacks classical upstream MAP2K regulation, it remains less characterized than the ERK1/2 pair. Recombinant ERK4 supports studies of MK5 signaling and of atypical-MAPK inhibitor selectivity.