Regulation of protein tyrosine kinases in platelets

Platelet activation is accompanied by a dramatic increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of many cellular proteins. Phosphorylation of these proteins occurs in successive waves during the activation process, suggesting that several distinct mechanisms, occurring in a temporal order, regulate protein tyrosine kinases and/or phosphatases in activated platelets. Several tyrosine kinases, including Src family kinases, Syk and FAK, have been implicated in these phosphorylation events. These kinases are regulated by distinct receptor-mediated events involving activation of their catalytic activity and alterations in their cellular localization.