Abstract
Protein kinases transfer a phosphoryl group from ATP onto target proteins and play a critical role in signal transduction and other cellular processes. Here, we review the kinase kinetic and chemical mechanisms and their application in understanding kinase structure and function. Aberrant kinase activity has been implicated in many human diseases, in particular cancer. We highlight applications of technologies and concepts derived from kinase mechanistic studies that have helped illuminate how kinases are regulated and contribute to pathophysiology.