Bruton's tyrosine kinase
Bruton's tyrosine kinase (abbreviated Btk or BTK) also known as tyrosine-protein kinase BTK is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the BTK gene. BTK is a kinase that plays a crucial role in B-cell development.
Function
BTK plays a crucial role in B cell maturation as well as mast cell activation through the high-affinity IgE receptor.
Btk contains a PH domain that binds phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3). PIP3 binding induces Btk to phosphorylate phospholipase C, 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.
Clinical significance
Mutations in the BTK gene are implicated in the primary immunodeficiency disease X-linked agammaglobulinemia (Bruton's agammaglobulinemia). 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. At least 400 mutations of the BTK gene have been identified.
Gene
A gene is a locus (or region) of DNA that encodes a functional RNA or protein product, and is the molecular unit of heredity. The transmission of genes to an organism's offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits. Most biological traits are under the influence of polygenes (many different genes) as well as the gene–environment interactions. Some genetic traits are instantly visible, such as eye colour or number of limbs, and some are not, such as blood type, risk for specific diseases, or the thousands of basic biochemical processes that comprise life.
Genes can acquire mutations in their sequence, leading to different variants, known as alleles, in the population. These alleles encode slightly different versions of a protein, which cause different phenotype traits. Colloquial usage of the term "having a gene" (e.g., "good genes," "hair colour gene") typically refers to having a different allele of the gene. Genes evolve due to natural selection or survival of the fittest of the alleles.
Eugene (given name)
Eugene is a common (masculine) first name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (eugenēs), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (eu), "well" and γένος (genos), "race, stock, kin".Gene is a common shortened form. The feminine variant is Eugenia or Eugénie.
Male foreign-language variants include:
Notable people
Christianity
Military
Gene (novel)
Gene is a thriller novel by Stel Pavlou (born 1970), published in 2005 in England by Simon & Schuster. It is published in several languages with some title changes. The Italian edition has the title La Conspirazione del Minotauro (The Minotaur Conspiracy). The novel is about a fictional New York detective, James North, who in the process of hunting down a criminal, uncovers a genetics experiment to unlock past lives through genetic memory, therefore achieving a kind of immortality. In so doing North discovers his own origins, that of a soldier from the Trojan War who is reincarnated seven times through history, forced to confront his nemesis each time, all for the loss of his one true love.
Characters
Cyclades (born circa 1300 BC)
Incarnations of Cyclades
Athanatos (born circa 1500 BC)
Incarnations of Athanatos
BTK
BTK may refer to:
Biology
Business
Music
Other
Birth Through Knowledge
Birth Through Knowledge (aka BTK) was a Canadian hip-hop/rock band best known for their 1998 single "Peppyrock," the video for which was nominated for the 1998 MuchMusic Best Video Award. The band consisted of Lo-Ki (vocals), Stone Groove (vocals), DJ Spinz (turntables), Adam Carlo (bass),Sam Cino (drums,percussion) and Matt deMatteo (drums).
After signing onto the Tommyboy/Ignition label, BTK released one album "Birth Thru Knowledge" in 1998.
BTK first came to attention when their song "Corncob Pipe" was included on the sampler disc that Korn released alongside Follow the Leader. They were the first indie band to ever open the main-stage at Edgefest '97. In 1998, the band toured with the Beastie Boys and with Our Lady Peace. They appeared in the 1998 Summersault tour.
The band won the 1997 MuchMusic Best Independent Video Award for "Superchile." They were also nominated for a Juno Award in 1999 in the Best Alternative Album category, losing to Rufus Wainwright.
Footnotes
Podcasts:
