Bruton's tyrosine kinase-an integral protein of B cell development that also has an essential role in the innate immune system

Review of the growing evidence indicating the importance of Btk in innate immune responses aside from its role in humoral immunity. Btk is the protein affected in XLA, a disease identified as a B cell differentiation defect. Btk is crucial for B cell differentiation and activation, but its role in other cells is not fully understood. This review focuses on the function of Btk in monocytes, neutrophils, and platelets and the receptors and signaling cascades in such cells with which Btk is associated.