B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator or BTLA (also known as cluster of differentiation 272 or CD272) is a protein that belongs to the CD28 immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) which is encoded by the BTLA gene located on the 3rd human chromosome. BTLA was first discovered in 2003 as an inhibitor of Th1 expansion and it became the 3rd member of the CD28 IgSF. However, its discovered ligand herpes virus entry mediator or HVEM (also known as tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 14 or TNFRSF14) belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF). This finding was surprising because until the discovery of HVEM it was believed that receptors and ligands always belong to the same family. Expression BTLA is broadly expressed in various organs. Among these are the lymph nodes, the thymus and the spleen where high expression of BTLA can be found. On the contrary, low to no expression is detected in organs such as the liver, kidney, heart, brain and other organs. If we consider specific cell populations then the expression of BTLA can be ascertained in T cell, B cells, DCs and NKT cells. In most of the aforementioned cells BTLA expression fluctuates depending on different developmental stages. For instance, in T cells, in which BTLA is most frequently studied, BTLA is stably expressed in naive T cells, the expression subsequently increases when a T cell is stimulated, but once fully activated the expression of BTLA again decreases. Structure BTLA is a 289 amino acid long transmembrane glycoprotein. It is very similar in structure to PD-1 and CTLA-4. Therefore, it consists of an extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. The cytoplasmatic domain is indispensable for signalling and it is constituted of 3 important motives: the growth factor receptor-bound protein-2 (Grb-2) recognition motif, the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) and the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based switch motif (ITSM). Function Considering the above-mentioned motives in the cytoplasmatic part of BTLA, it is obvious that BTLA has inhibition and activation capacities. The reason is that through ITIM it recruits either SHP-1 or SHP-2 which act as phosphatases and dephosphorylate tyrosine which suppresses immune activation. On the other hand, it also possesses the Grb-2 recognition motif which, when recognized by a Grb-2 protein, promotes activation of PI3K and that further mediates cell proliferation and survival. As stated above, HVEM is the main ligand of BTLA but unlike BTLA, HVEM is able