Src family kinases: modulators of neurotransmitter receptor function and behavior

Src family kinases (SFKs) are non-receptor-type protein tyrosine kinases that were originally identified as the products of proto-oncogenes and were subsequently implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in the developing mammalian brain. Recent studies using transgenic mouse models have demonstrated that SFKs that are highly expressed in the adult brain regulate neuronal plasticity and behavior through tyrosine phosphorylation of key substrates such as neurotransmitter receptors. Here, we provide an overview of these recent studies, as well as discussing how modulation of the endocytosis of neurotransmitter receptors by SFKs contributes, in part, to this regulation. Deregulation of SFK-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of such substrates might underlie certain brain disorders.