The proteins extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 are the downstream components of a phosphorelay pathway that conveys growth and mitogenic signals largely channelled by the small RAS GTPases. By phosphorylating widely diverse substrates, ERK proteins govern a variety of evolutionarily conserved cellular processes in metazoans, the dysregulation of which contributes to the cause of distinct human diseases. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of ERK1 and ERK2, their mode of action and their impact on the development and homeostasis of various organisms have been the focus of much attention for nearly three decades. In this Review, we discuss the current understanding of this important class of kinases. We begin with a brief overview of the structure, regulation, substrate recognition and subcellular localization of ERK1 and ERK2. We then systematically discuss how ERK signalling regulates six fundamental cellular processes in response to extracellular cues. These processes are cell proliferation, cell survival, cell growth, cell metabolism, cell migration and cell differentiation.

蛋白质细胞外信号调节激酶1（ERK1）和ERK2是磷酸化途径的下游成分，可通过小RAS GTPases大量传递生长和有丝分裂信号。通过使广泛多样的底物磷酸化，ERK蛋白可控制后生动物中各种进化上保守的细胞过程，其失调会导致人类疾病的发生。近三十年来，ERK1和ERK2调控的基本机制，其作用方式及其对各种生物的发育和体内平衡的影响一直是人们关注的焦点。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了对这一重要激酶类别的当前理解。我们首先简要概述其结构，法规，底物识别和ERK1和ERK2的亚细胞定位。然后，我们系统地讨论ERK信号转导如何调节六个基本的细胞过程以响应细胞外信号。这些过程是细胞增殖，细胞存活，细胞生长，细胞代谢，细胞迁移和细胞分化。