Bruton's tyrosine kinase (abbreviated Btk or BTK), also known as tyrosine-protein kinase BTK, is a tyrosine kinase that is encoded by the BTK gene in humans. BTK plays a crucial role in B cell development.
BTK contains five different protein interaction domains. These domains include an amino terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, a proline-rich TEC homology (TH) domain, SRC homology (SH) domains SH2 and SH3, as well as a protein kinase domain with tyrosine phosphorylation activity. [5]
Part of the TH domain is folded against the PH domain while the rest is intrinsically disordered.
BTK plays a crucial role in B cell development as it is required for transmitting signals from the pre-B cell receptor that forms after successful immunoglobulin heavy chain rearrangement. [6] It also has a role in mast cell activation through the high-affinity IgE receptor. [7]
BTK contains a PH domain that binds phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3). PIP3 binding induces BTK to phosphorylate phospholipase C (PLC), which in turn hydrolyzes PIP2, a phosphatidylinositol, into two second messengers, inositol triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG), which then go on to modulate the activity of downstream proteins during B-cell signalling. [8]
Mutations in the BTK gene are implicated in the primary immunodeficiency disease X-linked agammaglobulinemia (Bruton's agammaglobulinemia); sometimes abbreviated to XLA and selective IgM deficiency. [9] Patients with XLA have normal pre-B cell populations in their bone marrow but these cells fail to mature and enter the circulation. The BTK gene is located on the X chromosome (Xq21.3-q22). [10] At least 400 mutations of the BTK gene have been identified. Of these, at least 212 are considered to be disease-causing mutations. [11]
BTK is important for the survival and proliferation of leukemic B cells, which motivated efforts to develop BTK inhibitors as treatments for B cell malignancies such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). [12] As BTK is also linked to autoimmune disorders, [13] [14] recent efforts have sought to evaluate BTK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). [15]
Approved drugs that inhibit BTK:
Various drugs that inhibit BTK are in clinical trials: [24]
Bruton's tyrosine kinase is named for Ogden Bruton, who first described XLA in 1952. [10] [40] Later studies in 1993 and 1994 reported the discovery of BTK (initially termed B cell progenitor kinase or BPK) and found that BTK levels are reduced in B cells from XLA patients. [41] [42] [43]
Bruton's tyrosine kinase has been shown to interact with:
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X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a rare genetic disorder discovered in 1952 that affects the body's ability to fight infection. As the form of agammaglobulinemia that is X-linked, it is much more common in males. In people with XLA, the white blood cell formation process does not generate mature B cells, which manifests as a complete or near-complete lack of proteins called gamma globulins, including antibodies, in their bloodstream. B cells are part of the immune system and normally manufacture antibodies, which defend the body from infections by sustaining a humoral immunity response. Patients with untreated XLA are prone to develop serious and even fatal infections. A mutation occurs at the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) gene that leads to a severe block in B cell development and a reduced immunoglobulin production in the serum. Btk is particularly responsible for mediating B cell development and maturation through a signaling effect on the B cell receptor BCR. Patients typically present in early childhood with recurrent infections, in particular with extracellular, encapsulated bacteria. XLA is deemed to have a relatively low incidence of disease, with an occurrence rate of approximately 1 in 200,000 live births and a frequency of about 1 in 100,000 male newborns. It has no ethnic predisposition. XLA is treated by infusion of human antibody. Treatment with pooled gamma globulin cannot restore a functional population of B cells, but it is sufficient to reduce the severity and number of infections due to the passive immunity granted by the exogenous antibodies.
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