BackgroundInformation | Ras,aproto-oncogene,isasmallG-proteinthathas3primaryisoforms(H-Ras,N-Ras,andK-Ras)thatdifferintheirapproximately20C-terminalaminoacids.H-RaswasfirstdiscoveredasatransformingproducttheretrovirusHarveymurinevirusandK-RasofKirtensarcomavirus.Rasisaheavilystudiedtargetofbothacademicandpharmaceuticalresearchbecauseofitsimplicationsinvariouspathwaysanddiseasesaswellasbeingmutatedinalargenumberofhumancancers.RasismostnotablytheactivatoroftheErk/MAPKkinasepathwayasactivatorofRaf,aswellasanactivatorofPI3Kinase(PI3K).Initsoncogenic,mutatedstate,RasisunabletohydrolyzeGTPtoGDP,thusstayinginanactivestateandactivatingnumerouspathwaysincludingtheMAPKpathwaythroughitsactivationofRaf,butalsoothersaswellthatincludePI3KinaseandRalGDS. |