The T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase

In recent years, the T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP) has becom e an important member of the protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family in t wo aspects. Firstly, TC-PTP has been reported to act on downstream signalli ng events initiated by the epidermal growth receptor, suggesting that it ma y act as an important modulator of receptor tyrosine Kinases and mitogenic signalling. Secondly, the finding of immune deficiency and lethality observ ed in TC-PTP null mice emphasizes the importance of this small PTP in the h ematopoietic system. In this review, we provide a summary of the recent lit erature published on the TC-PTP and its various orthologs. Although much re mains to be uncovered some recent findings on the function of this small PT P suggest that it plays a critical role in regulating mammalian cell signal ling.