TEC HOMOLOGY (TH) ADJACENT TO THE PH DOMAIN

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is extended in the Btk kinase family by a region designated the TH (Tee homology) domain, which consists of about 80 residues preceding the SH3 domain. The TH domain contains a conserved 27 amino acid stretch designated the Btk motif and a proline-rich region. Sequence similarity was found to a putative Pas GTPase activating protein and a human interferon-gamma binding protein both in the PH domain and the Btk motif region. SLK1/SSP31 protein kinase and a non-catalytic p85 subunit of PI-3 kinase had similarity only with the proline rich region. The identification of a PH domain extension in some signal transduction proteins in different species suggests that this region is involved in protein-protein interactions.