LTK

LTK (leukocyte tyrosine kinase) is an orphan-like receptor tyrosine kinase of the ALK family, structurally resembling ALK with a shorter extracellular glycine-rich region and a conserved intracellular kinase domain. Although first cloned from a leukemia-derived cell line and named for hematopoietic expression, LTK is in fact most abundant in the central nervous system, especially in oligodendrocyte lineage cells and specific neuronal populations. The ALKAL ligands activate LTK and promote neuronal differentiation and survival. Rare LTK rearrangements, including various lung adenocarcinoma fusions, and activating mutations have been described, and LTK kinase activity is sensitive to ALK inhibitors such as lorlatinib. Compared with its famous relative, LTK remains incompletely characterized, with much of its biology still to be defined.