What is the significance of autophosphorylation?

Autophosphorylation is a significant post-transcriptional modification that regulates the specificity, activity, and signaling capacity of protein kinases. Autophosphorylation activates the enzyme kinase, causing it to increase its catalytic activity. This is done by phosphorylating specific residues within its own structure, and promoting activation. This activation allows the kinase to phosphorylate target proteins and induce signaling cascades. Additionally, it may also inhibit the kinase activity. Autophosphorylation is also significant for signal amplification within signaling pathways. Once a protein kinase becomes activated, it may amplify the signal and thus the cellular response. This is important for the rapid transmission of cell signals throughout signaling networks. Autophosphorylation is also important for substrate specificity. By phosphorylating specific residues, a kinase can create ligand binding sites that recognize target proteins more effectively.