title: JAK protein tyrosine kinases: their role in cytokine signalling.
abstract: Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) are integral components of the cellular machinery that mediates the transduction and/or processing of many extra- and intracellular signals. Members of the JAK family of intracellular PTKs (JAK1, JAK2 and TYK2) are characterized by the possession of a PTK-related domain and five additional homology domains, in addition to a classical PTK domain. An important breakthrough in the understanding of JAK kinases function(s) has come from the recent observations that many cytokine receptors compensate for their lack of a PTK domain by utilizing members of the JAK family for signal transduction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Experimental Research, University of Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziemiecki
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Harpur
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Wilks