This gene product is a 626-amino acid polypeptide that is 96.5 % identical to mouse Mekk3. Its catalytic domain is closely related to those of several other kinases, including mouse Mekk2, tobacco NPK, and yeast Ste11. Northern blot analysis revealed a 4.6-kb transcript that appears to be ubiquitously expressed. This protein directly regulates the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathways by activating SEK and MEK1/2 respectively, it does not regulate the p38 pathway. In cotransfection assays, it enhanced transcription from a nuclear factor kappa-B (NFKB)-dependent reporter gene, consistent with a role in the SAPK pathway. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been observed.,MAP3K3,MAPKKK3,MEKK3,Signal Transduction,Kinase,Serine/threonine kinases,MAPK-JNK Signaling Pathway,MAPK-P38 Signaling Pathway,Cell Biology & Developmental Biology,Cytoskeleton,Actins,Immunology & Inflammation,B Cell Receptor Signaling Pathway,Toll-like Receptor Signaling Pathway,Cell Intrinsic Innate Immunity Signaling Pathway,TLR Signaling,MAP3K3