The RAS-ERK pathway: A route for couples

Data accumulated over more than three decades demonstrate that the assembly of macrocomplexes, mainly of dimers, is widespread among the members of the different tiers that constitute the RAS-ERK pathway. In this issue of Science Signaling, Yuan et al. report that MEK1 homodimerization is necessary for signal transduction through the RAF-ERK pathway and that cancer-related MEK1 mutations confer enhanced dimerization and resistance to MEK inhibitors. These findings endorse interference with RAS-ERK pathway-component dimerization as a potential therapeutic strategy in cancer patients.