Function, location, and regulation of the src protein-tyrosine kinase

The physiological roles, precise locations, and relevant targets of the 60 kD protein-tyrosine kinase encoded by viral and cellular src genes p60src are not known, despite intensive study. We describe recent work that bears upon these unresolved problems: (i) p60c-src is phosphorylated during mitosis on threonine and serine residues by the protein kinase encoded by the mammalian homologue of cdc2, suggesting that c-src may contribute to the phenotype of mitotic cells; (ii) multiple regions in the amino-terminal portion of p60src are required for its proper intracellular localization--a short signal for myristylation and signals for association with cytoplasmic granules and with perinuclear and plasma membranes; and (iii) regions (called SH3 and SH2) upstream of the kinase domain modulate the behavior of p60src in complex ways, with some mutations in SH2 rendering p60 host-dependent for transformation. The latter mutants may prove to be powerful tools for identifying proteins that modify or serve as targets for src-encoded protein-tyrosine kinases.