Abstract
The ERK pathway governs essential biological processes such as cell proliferation and survival, and its hyperactivation by various oncogenes ultimately drives carcinogenesis. However, normal mammalian cells typically recognize aberrant ERK signaling as oncogenic stress and respond by inducing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis through activation of the p38 and JNK pathways. Despite the critical role of this response in preventing carcinogenesis, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying oncogene-induced, ERK-dependent activation of p38/JNK and its tumor-suppressive effects remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that MAP three kinase 1 (MTK1), a stress-responsive MAPKKK, serves as a key mediator of p38/JNK activation induced by oncogenic ERK signaling. Mechanistically, aberrant ERK signaling induces sustained expression of the transcription factor early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), which promotes the production of the MTK1 activator GADD45β, leading to persistent activation of MTK1-p38/JNK signaling. Gene knockout and transcriptome analyses revealed that this GADD45β/MTK1-mediated cross-talk between the ERK and p38/JNK pathways preferentially upregulates a specific set of genes involved in apoptosis and the immune response. Notably, the expression of EGR1, GADD45β, and MTK1 is frequently downregulated in many cancers with high ERK activity, resulting in the disruption of the tumor-suppressive ERK-p38/JNK cross-talk. Restoring GADD45β expression in cancer cells reactivates p38/JNK signaling and suppresses tumorigenesis. Our findings delineate a molecular mechanism by which normal cells sense and respond to oncogenic stress to prevent abnormal growth, and highlight the significance of its dysregulation in cancer.