Tyrosine kinase 2 mRNA (TYK2 mRNA)

Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) mRNA is the messenger RNA transcript that encodes the TYK2 protein, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase and member of the Janus kinase (JAK) family [3, 4]. This mRNA serves as a critical regulatory intermediate for the production of the TYK2 enzyme, which mediates intracellular signaling for key proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-23 (IL-23), and Type I interferons (IFNs) [1, 5]. Dysregulation or elevated expression of TYK2 mRNA is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis, as well as severe outcomes in COVID-19 [2, 6, 15]. While most approved therapies, such as deucravacitinib, target the TYK2 protein allosterically, the mRNA has emerged as a therapeutic target for RNA-based modalities like antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA [2, 11]. These approaches, exemplified by the investigational compound ASO-1, aim to achieve highly selective gene knockdown by inducing the degradation of TYK2 mRNA, thereby preventing protein synthesis and attenuating downstream inflammatory signaling [6, 13]. This strategy potentially offers a superior safety profile by avoiding the cross-reactivity with other JAK family members often observed with small-molecule inhibitors [16, 21].

Other names

Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase TYK2 transcriptTYK2 messenger RNATYK2 mRNA transcriptTyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) mRNA

Antisense-mediated mRNA degradation (RNase H-dependent) and RNA interference (siRNA-mediated)