Immediate-early genes (IEGs) can be activated and transcribed within minutes after
stimulation, without the need for de novo protein synthesis, and they are stimulated in
response to both cell-extrinsic and cell-intrinsic signals. Extracellular signals are transduced
from the cell surface, through receptors activating a chain of proteins in the cell, in particular
extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)
and members of the RhoA-actin pathway. These communicate through a signaling cascade …