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Historical Perspective

Nature Cell Biology 4, E127–E130 (1 May 2002) | doi:10.1038/ncb0502-e127

The origins of protein phosphorylation

Philip Cohen

The reversible phosphorylation of proteins is central to the regulation of most aspects of cell function but, even after the first protein kinase was identified, the general significance of this discovery was slow to be appreciated. Here I review the discovery of protein phosphorylation and give a personal view of the key findings that have helped to shape the field as we know it today.