Specificity
BTBD9 (BTB/POZ domain-containing protein 9) is a 612 amino acid protein that contains one BTB/POZ domain and one BACK (BTB/Kelch associated) domain. The BTB/POZ domain mediates homomeric and heteromeric POZPOZ interactions and is common to transcriptional regulators involved in chromatin modeling. In several BTB/POZ containing proteins, including Bcl-6 and the promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger (PLZF) oncoprotein, this domain interacts with the SMRT/N-CoR-mSin3A HDAC complex and is directly involved in repressing and silencing gene transcription. When this domain is deleted, as with the oncogenic PLZF-RAR chimera of promyelocytic leukemias, this transcriptional repression is attenuated. This suggests that BTBD9 may play a role in transcription regulation. Genetic variations in the gene that encodes BTBD9 have been associated with susceptibility to restless legs syndrome type 6 (RLS6), a condition characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move the legs while resting.
