Gastrin-induced proliferation involves MEK partner 1 (MP1).

The peptide hormone gastrin is an important factor for the maintenance and homeostasis of the gastric mucosa. We show that gastrin stimulates proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in the human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS-GR. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the MAPK scaffold protein MEK partner 1 (MP1) is important for gastrin-induced phosphorylation of ERK1 and ERK2 and that MP1 promotes gastrin-induced proliferation of AGS-GR cells. Our results suggest a role of MP1 in gastrin-induced cellular responses involved in proliferation and homeostasis of the gastric mucosa.