STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR THE REGULATION OF THE T-CELL TYROSINE KINASE ZAP-70

ZAP-70 is a tyrosine kinase that functions as a key intermediary in the tyrosine phosphorylation cascade triggered by the activated T cell receptor. Using two SH2 domains arranged in tandem, ZAP-70 detects upstream phosphorylation signals and propagates them to downstream protein targets. Here we review the mechanism of ZAP-70 activation and regulation, with an emphasis on recent structural studies.