Butyrophilin Like Protein 2 (BTNL2)

The BTNL2 protein contains a small hydrophobic sequence that may be a signal peptide, 2 immunoglobulin domains, a 7-amino acid heptad repeat, and 2 more immunoglobulin domains. Unlike other butyrophilins, BTNL2 lacks a C-terminal B30-2 domain. RT-PCR analysis detected Btnl2 expression in mouse skeletal muscle, duodenum, ileum, cecum, ascending colon, descending colon, and appendix.

Nguyen et al. (2006) found that a putative receptor for mouse Btnl2, distinct from Cd28 and Ctla4, was expressed on activated B and T cells. Btnl2 appeared to regulate T-cell activation, a finding with implications for the role of BTNL2 in inflammatory autoimmune diseases.