STRUCTURE-FUNCTION-RELATIONSHIPS IN SRC FAMILY AND RELATED PROTEIN-TYROSINE KINASES

There is increasing evidence to suggest that cytoplasmic tyrosine kina ses of the Src family have a pivotal role in the regulation of a numbe r of cellular processes. Members of this family have been implicated i n cellular responses to a variety of extracellular signals, such as th ose arising from growth factors and cell-cell interactions, as well as in differentiative and developmental processes in both vertebrates an d invertebrates. A better understanding of the regulation and of the s tructure-function relationships of these enzymes might aid in the deve lopment of specific ways to interfere with their action, as well as se rving as a paradigm for regulation of other protein tyrosine kinases t hat have SH2 and SH3 domains. In this review we will first discuss the regulation of Src family protein tyrosine kinases, with particular em phasis on their SH2 and SH3 domains. We will then briefly review other non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases that have SH2 and SH3 domains.