Overview:

SYK is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase that is widely expressed in hematopoietic cells. It is involved in coupling activated immunoreceptors to downstream signaling events that mediate diverse cellular responses, including proliferation, differentiation, and phagocytosis. In B cells, SYK plays a crucial role in intracellular signal transduction induced by oxidative stress as well as antigen receptor engagement (1). SYK has been shown to act as a potential tumor suppressor in breast cancer. Absence of SYK protein in primary breast tumors is correlated with poor outcomes. SYK deficient cells have increased motility that is restored to normalcy by replacement with wild-type SYK (2).

Genbank Number:

NM_003177

References:

1. Takano, T. et al: Role of protein-tyrosine kinase syk in oxidative stress signaling in B cells. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2002 Jun;4(3):533-41.

2. Navara, C S.: The spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) in human disease, implications for design of tyrosine kinase inhibitor based therapy. Curr Pharm Des. 2004;10(15):1739-44.