B-Raf Proto Oncogene Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase (BRAF)

The B-RAF protein is involved in sending signals in cells and in cell growth. The BRAF gene may be mutated,and the B-RAF protein altered, as an inherited mutation which causes birth defects, or as an acquired mutation (oncogene) in adults which causes cancer. Drugs that treat those cancers by inhibiting B-RAF are being studied, and one, PLX4032, has started phase III clinical trials. This gene encodes a protein belonging to the raf/mil family of serine/threonine protein kinases. This protein plays a role in regulating the MAP kinase / ERKs signaling pathway, which affects cell division, differentiation, and secretion.Mutations in the BRAF gene can cause disease in two ways. First, mutations can be inherited and cause birth defects. Second, mutations can appear later in life and cause cancer, as an oncogene.