The Kinase-Phosphatase database is a list of all protein kinases and protein phosphatases organized with their substrates. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins mediate signal transduction events that control a multitude of cellular processes. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are regulated by kinases and phosphatases, respectively. Protein kinases phosphorylate a substrate by transferring a phosphate group from ATP to the substrate. Phosphorylation is primarily directed onto serine, threonine and tyrosine amino acid residues of the substrate protein. The phosphorylation of the substrate often causes it to be activated, but in some cases may also deactivate the substrate. In order to create a balance of phosphorylation, protein phosphatases remove the phosphates from those substrates which have been phosphorylated.

This database allows one to search by kinases, phosphatases or by the substrates. The kinases and phosphatases are arranged so that you can view common substrates among them. Some of these kinases and phosphatases are extremely specific, potentially phosphorylating or dephosphorlyating only a few target proteins, while others are able to act broadly on many proteins. This database was developed to give researchers a better understanding of the patterns of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation within the cell.