Targeted therapies that suppress B cell receptor (BCR) signaling have emerged as promising agents in autoimmune disease and B cell malignancies. Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) plays a crucial role in B cell development and activation through the BCR signaling pathway and represents a new target for diseases characterized by inappropriate B cell activity. N-(3-(5-fluoro-2(4-(2-methoxyethoxy)phen...

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), the gene mutated in the human immunodeficiency X-linked agammaglobulinemia, is activated by LPS and is required for LPS-induced TNF production. In this study, we have investigated the role of Btk both in signaling via another TLR (TLR2) and in the production of other proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8. Our data show that in X-linked agamma...

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a product of Gram-negative bacteria, is potent mediator of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha production by myeloid/macrophage cells. Inhibitors capable of blocking the signaling events that result in TNF alpha production could provide useful therapeutics for treating septic shock and other inflammatory diseases. Broad spectrum tyrosine inhibitors are known to inhibit TN...

B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is aberrantly activated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) is essential to BCR signaling and in knockout mouse models its mutation has a relatively B cell-specific phenotype. Herein, we demonstrate that BTK protein and mRNA are significantly over expressed in CLL compared with normal B cells. Although BTK is not always constitutiv...

Botrocetin (bt)-facilitated binding of von Willebrand factor (VWF) to the platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V complex on platelets in suspension initiates a signaling cascade that causes alphaIIbbeta3 activation and platelet aggregation. Previous work has demonstrated that bt/VWF-mediated agglutination activates alphaIIbbeta3 and elicits ATP secretion in a thromboxane A2 (TxA2)-dependen...

Approximately 20% of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have a mutation in FMS-like-tyrosine-kinase-3 (FLT3). FLT3 is a trans-membrane receptor with a tyrosine kinase domain which, when activated, initiates a cascade of phosphorylated proteins including the SRC family of kinases. Recently our group and others have shown that pharmacologic inhibition and genetic knockdown of Bruton's ty...

Dasatinib is a multitargeted drug that blocks several tyrosine kinases. Apart from its well-known antileukemic activity, the drug has attracted attention because of potential immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. We report that dasatinib at 1 microM completely blocks anti-IgE-induced histamine release in blood basophils in healthy donors, and allergen-induced release of histamine in ...

Ibrutinib has significantly improved the outcome of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Recent reports attribute ibrutinib resistance to acquired mutations in Bruton agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase (BTK), the target of ibrutinib, as well as the immediate downstream effector phospholipase C, γ2 (PLCG2). Although the C481S mutation found in BTK has been shown to disable ...

Deficiencies of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). The distinctive phenotype observed in B-cell deficiency indicates the crucial role of Btk in B-cell development. This report describes a nationwide study of Btk deficiency in Japan, covering 51 XLA patients (35 independent families). Along with the identification o...

Targeted therapies that suppress B cell receptor (BCR) signaling have emerged as promising agents in autoimmune disease and B cell malignancies. Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) plays a crucial role in B cell development and activation through the BCR signaling pathway and represents a new target for diseases characterized by inappropriate B cell activity. N-(3-(5-fluoro-2-(4-(2-methoxyethoxy)phe...