MAPK3 and cancer: In pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), chronic hyperglycemia converts PDAC stellate cells to a myofibroblast-like state that upregulates secretion of CXCL12, which activates the CXCR4 receptor on the nearby cancer cells, activating cell growth and migration through the cell proliferation pathways Erk1/2, p38, and MAP kinase [89].