Protein kinase activation is a frequent response of cells to treatment with growth factors, chemicals, heat shock, or apoptosis-inducing agents. This protein kinase activation presumably allows cells to resist unfavorable environmental conditions. The yeast sterile 20 (Ste20) kinase acts upstream of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade that is activated under a variety of stress conditions. MST2 was identified as a kinase that is activated by the proapoptotic agents straurosporine and FAS ligand (MIM 134638) (Taylor et al., 1996 [PubMed 8816758]; Lee et al., 2001 [PubMed 11278283]).[supplied by OMIM]
