What is "protein kinase"

n. (context biochemistry English) a kinase which substrate is a protein

A protein kinase is a kinase enzyme that modifies other proteins by chemically adding phosphate groups to them ( phosphorylation). Phosphorylation usually results in a functional change of the target protein ( substrate) by changing enzyme activity, cellular location, or association with other proteins. The human genome contains about 500 protein kinase genes and they constitute about 2% of all human genes. Up to 30% of all human proteins may be modified by kinase activity, and kinases are known to regulate the majority of cellular pathways, especially those involved in signal transduction. Protein kinases are also found in bacteria and plants.