Inhibition of p38 or JNK/SAPK causes delay of stress-induced apoptotic cell death, but inhibition of ERK stimulates stress-induced apoptotic cell death. SKT6 cells mixed with 10 μmol/L of antisense S-oligos (○) or sense S-oligos (•) of p38, JNK1, JNK2, ERKs (common to both ERK1 and ERK2), or scrambled S-oligos were (A) osmotic shocked or (B) heat shocked for 1 hour, and the cell death rate (%) was measured at the indicated time points. Each point represents the mean of five replicates.