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B-cell linker (BLNK) protein is expressed in B cells and macrophages and plays a large role in B cell receptor signaling.[5] Like all adaptor proteins, BLNK has no known intrinsic enzymatic activity.[6] Its function is to temporally and spatially coordinate and regulate downstream signaling effectors in B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, which is important in B cell development.[7] Binding of these downstream effectors is dependent on BLNK phosphorylation.[8][9] BLNK is encoded by the BLNKgene[8][10] and is also known as SLP-65,[11]BASH,[12] and BCA.[13]
Structure and localization
BLNK consists of a N-terminal leucine zipper motif followed by an acidic region, a proline-rich region, and a C-terminal SH2 domain.[14][5] The leucine zipper motif allows BLNK to localize to the plasma membrane, presumably by coiled-coil interactions with a membrane protein.[5] This leucine zipper motif distinguishes BLNK from lymphoctye cytosolic protein 2, also known as LCP-2 or SLP-76, which plays a similar role in T cell receptor signaling.[15] Although LCP-2 has an N-terminal heptad-like organization of leucine and isoleucine residues like BLNK, it has not been experimentally shown to have the leucine zipper motif.[16] Recruitment of BLNK to the plasma membrane is also achieved by binding of the SH2 domain of BLNK to a non-ITAM phospho-tyrosine on the cytoplasmic domain of CD79A, which is a part of Igα and the B cell receptor complex.[17][18][19]
Function
BLNK's function and importance in B cell development were first illustrated in BLNK deficient DT40 cells, a chickenB cell line.[7] DT40 cells had interrupted B cell development: there was no calcium mobilization response in the B cell, impaired activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinasesp38, JNK, and somewhat inhibited ERK activation upon (BCR) activation as compared to wild type DT40 cells.[7] In knockout mice, BLNK deficiency results in a partial block in B cell development,[20][21] and in humans BLNK deficiency results in a much more profound block in B cell development.[22][5]
Linker or adaptor proteins provide mechanisms by which receptors can amplify and regulate downstream effector proteins.[6] BLNK is essential for normal B-cell development as part of the B cell receptor signaling pathway. [supplied by OMIM][10][23][24]
Evidence also suggests that BLNK may have tumor suppressive activity through its interaction with Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) [25][26] and regulation of the pre-B cell checkpoint.[14][27]
Phosphorylation and interactions
The acidic region of BLNK contains several inducibly phosphorylated tyrosine residues, at least five of which are found in humans.[28] Evidence suggests that BLNK is phosphorylated by the tyrosine-protein kinase Syk after B cell receptor activation.[8][9][24][29] Phosphorylation of these residues provides docking sites necessary for downstream protein-protein interactions between BLNK and the SH2 domain-containing proteins Grb2,[8][11][17][30]PLCG2, Btk, the Vav protein family, and Nck.[31][9][8] BLNK has also been shown to interact with SH3KBP1[32] and MAP4K1.[33] A more recent mass spectrometry study of BLNK in DT40 cells found that at least 41 unique serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues are phosphorylated on BLNK.[34]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^ abcdKöhler F, Storch B, Kulathu Y, Herzog S, Kuppig S, Reth M, Jumaa H (February 2005). "A leucine zipper in the N terminus confers membrane association to SLP-65". Nature Immunology. 6 (2): 204–210. doi:10.1038/ni1163. PMID15654340. S2CID10708737.
^ abBorowicz P, Chan H, Hauge A, Spurkland A (November 2020). "Adaptor proteins: Flexible and dynamic modulators of immune cell signalling". Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. 92 (5): e12951. doi:10.1111/sji.12951. hdl:10852/82328. PMID32734639. S2CID220892370.
^Gangi-Peterson L, Peterson SN, Shapiro LH, Golding A, Caricchio R, Cohen DI, et al. (January 1998). "bca: an activation-related B-cell gene". Molecular Immunology. 35 (1): 55–63. doi:10.1016/s0161-5890(98)00008-x. PMID9683264.
^ abHerzog S, Storch B, Jumaa H (2006). "Dual role of the adaptor protein SLP-65: organizer of signal transduction and tumor suppressor of pre-B cell leukemia". Immunologic Research. 34 (2): 143–155. doi:10.1385/ir:34:2:143. PMID16760574. S2CID11515343.
^Koretzky GA, Abtahian F, Silverman MA (January 2006). "SLP76 and SLP65: complex regulation of signalling in lymphocytes and beyond". Nature Reviews. Immunology. 6 (1): 67–78. doi:10.1038/nri1750. PMID16493428. S2CID22368341.
^Pappu R, Cheng AM, Li B, Gong Q, Chiu C, Griffin N, et al. (December 1999). "Requirement for B cell linker protein (BLNK) in B cell development". Science. 286 (5446): 1949–1954. doi:10.1126/science.286.5446.1949. PMID10583957.
^Minegishi Y, Rohrer J, Coustan-Smith E, Lederman HM, Pappu R, Campana D, et al. (December 1999). "An essential role for BLNK in human B cell development". Science. 286 (5446): 1954–1957. doi:10.1126/science.286.5446.1954. PMID10583958.
^Hashimoto S, Iwamatsu A, Ishiai M, Okawa K, Yamadori T, Matsushita M, et al. (October 1999). "Identification of the SH2 domain binding protein of Bruton's tyrosine kinase as BLNK--functional significance of Btk-SH2 domain in B-cell antigen receptor-coupled calcium signaling". Blood. 94 (7): 2357–2364. doi:10.1182/blood.V94.7.2357.419k40_2357_2364. PMID10498607. S2CID21014231.
^Hendriks RW, Kersseboom R (February 2006). "Involvement of SLP-65 and Btk in tumor suppression and malignant transformation of pre-B cells". Seminars in Immunology. 18 (1): 67–76. doi:10.1016/j.smim.2005.10.002. PMID16300960.
Maruyama K, Sugano S (January 1994). "Oligo-capping: a simple method to replace the cap structure of eukaryotic mRNAs with oligoribonucleotides". Gene. 138 (1–2): 171–174. doi:10.1016/0378-1119(94)90802-8. PMID8125298.
Suzuki Y, Yoshitomo-Nakagawa K, Maruyama K, Suyama A, Sugano S (October 1997). "Construction and characterization of a full length-enriched and a 5'-end-enriched cDNA library". Gene. 200 (1–2): 149–156. doi:10.1016/S0378-1119(97)00411-3. PMID9373149.
Hashimoto S, Iwamatsu A, Ishiai M, Okawa K, Yamadori T, Matsushita M, et al. (October 1999). "Identification of the SH2 domain binding protein of Bruton's tyrosine kinase as BLNK--functional significance of Btk-SH2 domain in B-cell antigen receptor-coupled calcium signaling". Blood. 94 (7): 2357–2364. doi:10.1182/blood.V94.7.2357.419k40_2357_2364. PMID10498607. S2CID21014231.