Because it is associated with the immune system and the major histocompatibility complex, it has been implicated in many diseases (see further reading list below). A large scale study found it to be the protein under the most stringent selection in the human genome in 8 out of 12 geographic regions using the HKA test.[8]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Stammers M, Rowen L, Rhodes D, Trowsdale J, Beck S (April 2000). "BTL-II: a polymorphic locus with homology to the butyrophilin gene family, located at the border of the major histocompatibility complex class II and class III regions in human and mouse". Immunogenetics. 51 (4–5): 373–382. doi:10.1007/s002510050633. PMID10803852. S2CID31938388.
^Valentonyte R, Hampe J, Huse K, Rosenstiel P, Albrecht M, Stenzel A, et al. (April 2005). "Sarcoidosis is associated with a truncating splice site mutation in BTNL2". Nature Genetics. 37 (4): 357–364. doi:10.1038/ng1519. PMID15735647. S2CID11965918.
Orozco G, Eerligh P, Sánchez E, Zhernakova S, Roep BO, González-Gay MA, et al. (December 2005). "Analysis of a functional BTNL2 polymorphism in type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus". Human Immunology. 66 (12): 1235–1241. doi:10.1016/j.humimm.2006.02.003. PMID16690410.
Campo I, Morbini P, Zorzetto M, Tinelli C, Brunetta E, Villa C, et al. (March 2007). "Expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products in sarcoid granulomas". American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 175 (5): 498–506. doi:10.1164/rccm.200601-136OC. PMID17170388.
Johnson CM, Traherne JA, Jamieson SE, Tremelling M, Bingham S, Parkes M, et al. (March 2007). "Analysis of the BTNL2 truncating splice site mutation in tuberculosis, leprosy and Crohn's disease". Tissue Antigens. 69 (3): 236–241. doi:10.1111/j.1399-0039.2006.00795.x. PMID17493147.
Mochida A, Kinouchi Y, Negoro K, Takahashi S, Takagi S, Nomura E, et al. (August 2007). "Butyrophilin-like 2 gene is associated with ulcerative colitis in the Japanese under strong linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DRB1*1502". Tissue Antigens. 70 (2): 128–135. doi:10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00866.x. PMID17610417.
Spagnolo P, Sato H, Grutters JC, Renzoni EA, Marshall SE, Ruven HJ, et al. (September 2007). "Analysis of BTNL2 genetic polymorphisms in British and Dutch patients with sarcoidosis". Tissue Antigens. 70 (3): 219–227. doi:10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00879.x. PMID17661910.