Protein tyrosine phosphatase signaling in development and health

Abstract

Intracellular signalling for fundamental processes such as cell growth, differentiation, and cell-cell adhesion are finely controlled through the antagonistic actions of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), and at multiple levels. PTKs and PTPs have opposing functions in catalysing the addition or removal of phosphate groups from Tyrosine residues respectively, but these two classes of enzymes work in concerted action to ensure a critical balance in phosphorylation signaling, as well as control the duration of such signaling. The need to enable phosphorylation signaling in a tissue-specific, temporal-specific and substrate-specific manner highlights the critical role for PTPs, particularly in developmental processes, and in vital processes that ensure a healthy cellular state. It is therefore not surprising that PTP dysfunction has been associated with cancers, metabolic diseases, and development syndromes that display a spectrum of phenotypic defects. In this review, I will focus my discussion on the critical role for PTPs, and the regulation thereof, in early development and diseases.