Mst1: Function and Mechanism in Brain and Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Mammalian STE20-like kinase-1 (Mst1) is a generally expressed apoptosis-promoting kinase and a key bridgebuilder of apoptotic signaling in the etiology of tissue injury. Despite the fact that the biological function of Mst1 and its role in the cell's signalling network have yet to be determined, however, there is a lot of evidence that Mst1 plays an important role in cell death which results from tissue injury. Previous studies have shown that Mst1 is not only a target for some apoptosis-related molecules such as caspase 3 and P53, but also act as an activator of these proteinases to magnify apoptosis signal pathways. This article reviews the role of Mst1 in the signaling pathways which is related with the neuronal cell apoptosis or microglia activation following myocardial and brain injury. Therefore, this work contributes to better understanding of the pathological process of myocardial and brain injury.