Autophosphorylation: a salient feature of protein kinases.

Most protein kinases catalyze autophosphorylation, a process which is generally intramolecular and is modulated by regulatory ligands. Either serine/threonine or tyrosine serves as the phosphoacceptor, and several sites on the same kinase subunit are usually autophosphorylated. Autophosphorylation affects the functional properties of most protein kinases. Members of the protein kinase family exhibit diversity in the characteristics and functions of autophosphorylation, but certain common themes are emerging.