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Background
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Protein tyrosine kinases are large multigene families which are important mediators of the signaling transduction pathways, responsible for intracellular signal transduction. Tyrosine kinases are a diverse group of cell surface transmembrane proteins that act as receptors for cytokines, growth factors, hormones and other signaling molecules. Receptor tyrosine kinases are expressed in many cell types and play important roles in a wide variety of cellular processes, including growth, differentiation, angiogenesis, metabolism and apoptosis in response to external and internal stimuli. Over-expression and/or structural alteration of tyrosine kinase family members are associated to human cancers. Tumor cells use RTK transduction pathways to achieve tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis making it a target in approaches of cancer therapy. Fyn kinase is a 64 kDa protein and one of the 9 members of the Src family kinase (SFK) which are important in the regulation of growth and differentiation of eukaryotic cells. Src-family kinases transduce signals that are involved in the control of a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, motility, and adhesion. Synthesized and N-myristoylated Fyn protein is targeted to the plasma membrane, where it is palmitoylated. Fyn encodes a membraneassociated tyrosine kinase that is implicated in the control of cell growth and it plays a key role in T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling. Dually acetylated Fyn clusters in caveolae-like membrane micro domains and interacts with a variety of other signaling molecules. Fyn's biological functions are diverse and include signaling via the T cell receptor, regulation of brain function and adhesion mediated signaling. It is required in brain development and mature brain function with important roles in the regulation of axon growth, axon guidance, and neurite extension. The human Fyn gene maps to chromosome 6q21 and encodes a 537 amino acid protein.
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