Tyrosine phosphorylation is rare, representing only about 0.5% of phosphorylations in the cell under basal conditions. While mitogenic tyrosine kinase signaling has been extensively explored, the role of phosphotyrosine signaling across the cell cycle and in particular during mitosis is poorly understood.Two recent, independent studies tackled this question from different angles to reveal exciting new insights into the role of this modification during cell division. Caron et al. 1 exploited mitotic phosphoproteomics data sets to determine the extent of mitotic tyrosine phosphorylation, and St-Denis et al. 2 identified protein tyrosine phosphatases from all subfamilies as regulators of mitotic progression or spindle formation. These studied collectively revealed that tyrosine phosphorylation may play a more prominent and active role in mitotic progression than previously appreciated. Protein phosphorylation is well recognized as a major mode of post-translational regulation. The human genome encodes over 23,000 proteins; more than two-thirds phosphorylated. 3 Phosphorylation is a crucial component of signal transduction, regulating pathways that control processes from cell division to cell death. At the molecular level, reversible phosphorylation can lead to changes in protein structure and stability, protein-protein interactions, enzyme activation, or subcellular localization. Phosphorylation is most dynamic during the mitotic stage of the cell cycle, 4 and many mitotic phosphoproteome studies have resulted in a wealth of data on serine (Ser) and threonine (Thr) phosphorylation events. However, phosphotyrosine (pTyr) sites are relatively rare, and are underrepresented even in large scale mitosis-specific phosphoproteome studies. Seminal work from many groups in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s has revealed remarkable insight into how tyrosine (Tyr) phosphorylation regulates many aspects of growth and development. It is an integral component of cell surface signaling by receptors such as receptor tyrosine kinases, and integrins which signal in part via intracellular kinases such as the Src-family kinases (SFKs). 5 These cell surface signals are then propagated throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus through signaling networks often involving feedbacks and crosstalks to finally elicit the appropriate response. A number of tissue-specific pTyr screens have been reported (e.g. 6-8 ) but little is known about Tyr phosphorylation dynamics throughout the cell cycle, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of cell cycle control.The best understood pTyr site regulated during mitosis is arguably the inhibitory phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1) at Tyr, 15 which is catalyzed by WEE1 and MYT1, and whose dephosphorylation serves as the basis for the switch-like activity of CDK1/cyclin B at mitotic entry. 9 Tyr phosphorylation at the spindle was clearly demonstrated almost 20 years ago when pTyr-containing epitopes, detected by the monoclonal 4G10 pTyr antibody, were observed at kinetochores and cen...