MEK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does MEK mean? 

• MEK (noun)
  The noun MEK has 1 sense:

1. a terrorist organization formed in the 1960s by children of Iranian merchants; sought to counter the Shah of Iran's pro-western policies of modernization and opposition to communism; following a philosophy that mixes Marxism and Islam it now attacks the Islamic fundamentalists who deposed the Shah

  Familiarity information: MEK used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MEK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A terrorist organization formed in the 1960s by children of Iranian merchants; sought to counter the Shah of Iran's pro-western policies of modernization and opposition to communism; following a philosophy that mixes Marxism and Islam it now attacks the Islamic fundamentalists who deposed the Shah

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

MEK; MKO; Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization; People's Mujahidin of Iran

Instance hypernyms:

foreign terrorist organization; FTO; terrorist group; terrorist organization (a political movement that uses terror as a weapon to achieve its goals)

Domain category:

act of terrorism; terrorism; terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear)

Domain region:

Iran; Islamic Republic of Iran; Persia (a theocratic Islamic republic in the Middle East in western Asia; Iran was the core of the ancient empire that was known as Persia until 1935; rich in oil)

 Context examples 

In response to growth factor, KSR1 Ser392 phosphorylation falls, allowing KSR1 to localize with activated RAS and RAF1 at the plasma membrane and facilitating phosphorylation required for activation of MEK and MAPK.

(Kinase Suppressor of RAS-1, NCI Thesaurus)

Signaling from Ras to Raf to MEK to ERKs induces Cyclin D1 expression, allowing Cyclin D1 to complex with Cdk4 and Cdk6 and phosphorylate Rb.

(G1 to S Transition Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Raf-1 plays a key role in the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, which regulates mammalian cell proliferation and growth.

(Liposomal c-raf Antisense Oligonucleotide, NCI Thesaurus)

MEK inhibitor AZD6244 blocks proteins needed for cell growth and may kill cancer cells.

(MEK inhibitor AZD6244, NCI Dictionary)

MEK, a dual-specificity threonine/tyrosine kinase that plays a key role in the activation of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, is frequently upregulated in a variety of tumor cell types.

(MEK Inhibitor WX-554, NCI Thesaurus)

Growth factor receptors and tyrosine kinases activate Ras which in turn activates c-Raf, MEK, and MAP kinase.

(Erk1/Erk2 MAPK Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

An orally bioavailable, synthetic organic molecule targeting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPK/ERK kinase or MEK) with potential antineoplastic activity.

(PD0325901, NCI Thesaurus)

Any substance that inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), an enzyme that catalyzes the addition of a phosphate group to a mitogen-activated protein kinase.

(Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Inhibitor, NCI Thesaurus)

Alternatively, mutant RAS directly stimulates BRAF, whereas mutant BRAF directly stimulates MEK.

(Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

One of the several classes of MAPKs includes (among other ERKs) the extracellular signal-regulated kinases ERK1 (p44MAPK) and ERK2 (p42MAPK), activated by the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway.

(Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, NCI Thesaurus)