Figure 1

The main pathways of the effects of EPO. The intracellular domain of the EPOR contains phosphotyrosines, which are phosphorylated by activation of a member of the Janus-type protein tyrosine kinase family (JAK2) bound to the EPOR. These phosphotyrosines serve as docking sites for signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) and activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. Akt stimulates IKK to phosphorylate, which phosphorylates the inhibitory IkB protein causing it to dissociate from NF-kB, which causes its activation (Modified from Anaesth Intensive Care 2011, in press).