The SH2 domain of Abl kinases regulates kinase autophosphorylation by controlling activation loop accessibility

Abl is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase important for growth, whose hyper activation is associated with several types of cancers. Here, the authors use recombinant Abl protein to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying allosteric activation of Abl by its SH2 domain through the regulation of autophosphorylation.