JAK and Src tyrosine kinase signaling in asthma

Tyrosine kinases play a critical role in transducing intracellular signals from the receptors. Many receptors do not have intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, so they rely on cytosolic and/or membrane-associated tyrosine kinases for initial signal generation. The Src and JAK family kinases are frequently associated with receptors and generate the initial cytosolic signals. These signals are then transduced to other compartments of the cytosol and to the nucleus to elicit a specific cellular response. In this review we focus on these two families of tyrosine kinases and review their involvement in activation of cells that are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. A Th2-type immune response dominates the processes that lead to the phenotype of asthma. For this reason we give special attention to the tyrosine kinases that are involved in a Th2 response. Further we examine the involvement of tyrosine kinases in activation of mast cells, eosinophils and other cells.