OncoSignal
Live from Open Targets Platform, fetched 2026-11-11 16:03 UTC. Every row links to its source record.

MAP2K4 mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4

ENSG00000065559 · protein coding · Open Targets profile

Dual specificity protein kinase which acts as an essential component of the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway. Essential component of the stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAP/JNK) signaling pathway. With MAP2K7/MKK7, is the one of the only known kinase to directly activate the stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinases MAPK8/JNK1, MAPK9/JNK2 and MAPK10/JNK3. MAP2K4/MKK4 and MAP2K7/MKK7 both activate the JNKs by phosphorylation, but they differ in their preference for the phosphorylation site in the Thr-Pro-Tyr motif. MAP2K4 shows preference for phosphorylation of the Tyr residue and MAP2K7/MKK7 for the Thr residue. The phosphorylation of the Thr residue by MAP2K7/MKK7 seems to be the prerequisite for JNK activation at least in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines, while other stimuli activate both MAP2K4/MKK4 and MAP2K7/MKK7 which synergistically phosphorylate JNKs. MAP2K4 is required for maintaining peripheral lymphoid homeostasis. The MKK/JNK signaling pathway is also involved in mitochondrial death signaling pathway, including the release cytochrome c, leading to apoptosis. Whereas MAP2K7/MKK7 exclusively activates JNKs, MAP2K4/MKK4 additionally activates the p38 MAPKs MAPK11, MAPK12, MAPK13 and MAPK14. .

In 15 of 15 cancers, the evidence for MAP2K4 comes mainly from mutations found in tumours

Each row is a cancer, strongest overall evidence first. The two dots show how strong the inherited (germline) and tumour-mutation (somatic) evidence is; the line between them is the gap.

Inherited (germline) variantsMutations in tumours (somatic)
00.250.50.751breast adenocarcinomabreast adenocarcinomabreast adenocarcinoma: somatic 0.86pancreatic adenocarcinomapancreatic adenocarcinomapancreatic adenocarcinoma: somatic 0.55pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomapancreatic ductal adenocarcinomapancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: somatic 0.61colorectal adenocarcinomacolorectal adenocarcinomacolorectal adenocarcinoma: somatic 0.49invasive breast carcinomainvasive breast carcinomainvasive breast carcinoma: somatic 0.61carcinoma of liver and intrahepatic bil…carcinoma of liver and intrahepatic biliary tractcarcinoma of liver and intrahepatic biliary tract: somatic 0.61hepatobiliary neoplasmhepatobiliary neoplasmhepatobiliary neoplasm: somatic 0.61nodular malignant melanomanodular malignant melanomanodular malignant melanoma: somatic 0.61kidney neoplasmkidney neoplasmkidney neoplasm: somatic 0.61esophageal adenocarcinomaesophageal adenocarcinomaesophageal adenocarcinoma: somatic 0.61bile duct carcinomabile duct carcinomabile duct carcinoma: somatic 0.61gastric carcinomagastric carcinomagastric carcinoma: somatic 0.61lymphoid neoplasmlymphoid neoplasmlymphoid neoplasm: somatic 0.61ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma wit…ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma with squamous differentiationovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma with squamous differentiation: somatic 0.61breast lobular carcinomabreast lobular carcinomabreast lobular carcinoma: somatic 0.61

Scores run from 0 (no evidence) to 1 (strongest). A missing dot at 0 means Open Targets holds no evidence of that kind. Source: Open Targets Platform, fetched live.

Tractability

Small molecule
Structure with Ligand, High-Quality Ligand, High-Quality Pocket, Druggable Family
PROTAC
Database Ubiquitination, Half-life Data, Small Molecule Binder

gnomAD loss of function constraint: o/e 0.08254499733448029 (upper bound 0.1888899952173233). Low values mean loss of function is poorly tolerated, a safety flag for inhibition.

Who runs trials of these drugs

No named investigators on registry trials of MAP2K4's approved or late-stage drugs in the last three years.

No terminated, withdrawn or suspended trials of MAP2K4's drugs are registered

All 0 drugs and clinical candidates as a table

Each drug, stage and indication links to its Open Targets record, where the trials and approvals behind it are listed. Salt forms (for example a mesylate) are listed as Open Targets records them, as separate entries.

DrugTypeHighest stageIndicationsSource records
No drugs or clinical candidates recorded.