RAStoERK: a reference interaction atlas for insights into signaling and disease

The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway has been extensively studied for its roles in physiology and disease, yet a systems-level view of its interplay with the broader cellular context is lacking, limiting insight into paralog-specific roles, mutation-driven rewiring, and cross-pathway integration. To address this, we simultaneously mapped the interactomes of all pathway components and their activating and inactivating mutations, identifying 2,500 high-confidence interactors, 88% of which previously unreported, and generating a high-confidence, comprehensive reference map of the pathway in resting and activated states. The pathway behaves like a “molecular organism” that connects to other signaling complexes, operates from distinct subcellular sites, and integrates into networks relevant to physiology and disease. Dataset exploration uncovered paralog- and mutation-specific interaction signatures and pathway-level crosstalk, including previously unknown connections to mRNA metabolism and WNT signaling. The interactomes available at RAStoERK.univie.ac.at provide a foundational community resource for unbiased discovery, targeted mechanistic studies, and potential therapeutic exploration.