Asynchronous Pattern of MAPKs' Activity during Aging of Different Tissues and of Distinct Types of Skeletal Muscle.

The MAPK p38α was proposed to be a prominent promoter of skeletal muscle aging. The skeletal muscle tissue is composed of various muscle types, and it is not known if p38α is associated with aging in all of them. It is also not known if p38α is associated with aging of other tissues.

The stability of R-spine defines RAF inhibitor resistance: A comprehensive analysis of oncogenic BRAF mutants with in-frame insertion of αC-β4 loop.

Although targeting BRAF mutants with RAF inhibitors has achieved promising outcomes in cancer therapy, drug resistance remains a remarkable challenge, and underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we characterized a previously unknown group of oncogenic BRAF mutants with in-frame insertions (LLR or VLR) of αC-β4 loop. Using structure modeling and molecular dynamics simulation, we found that these insertions formed a large hydrophobic network that stabilizes R-spine and thus triggers the catalytic activity of BRAF.