Raf

Raf kinases are a family of three serine/threonine-specific protein kinases that are related to retroviral oncogenes. RAF is an acronym for Rapidly Accelerated Fibrosarcoma. Raf kinases participate in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signal transduction cascade, also referred to as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. Activation of RAF kinases requires interaction with RAS-GTPases. The three RAF kinase family members are: A-Raf, B-Raf, C-Raf (Raf-1). The B-Raf protein is involved in sending signals inside cells, which are involved in directing cell growth. It was shown to be faulty (mutated) in some human cancers. C-RAF or even Raf-1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the RAF1 gene. The c-Raf protein is part of the ERK1/2 pathway as a MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) that functions downstream of the Ras subfamily of membrane associated GTPases. C-Raf is a member of the Raf kinase family of serine/threonine-specific protein kinases, from the TKL (Tyrosine-kinase-like) group of kinases.