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Genetics Library / Genes / TEK

GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:11724

TEK

TEK receptor tyrosine kinase

protein-coding gene9p21.2Gene information

What does this gene do?

The TEK gene (also called the TIE2 gene) provides instructions for making a protein called TEK receptor tyrosine kinase. The TEK receptor tyrosine kinase (or TEK receptor) is active (expressed) mainly in endothelial cells, which line the walls of blood vessels. When the TEK receptor is activated, it triggers a series of chemical signals that facilitates communication between endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. Layers of smooth muscle cells surround layers of endothelial cells lining the walls of blood vessels. Communication between these two cell types is necessary to direct blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and ensure the structure and integrity of blood vessels.

The TEK receptor is also found in bone marrow, where it is expressed in blood-forming cells called hematopoietic stem cells. The role of the TEK receptor in hematopoietic stem cells is unknown. Researchers speculate that the TEK receptor aids in hematopoietic stem cell growth and division (proliferation) or cell specialization (differentiation).

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2009-08.

Related condition topics

MedlinePlus mentions this gene in the condition pages below. These links alone do not show that the gene causes a condition.

ClinGen reviews

ClinGen reviews the evidence linking a particular gene to a condition. Each rating below describes the strength of that link. It does not classify a variant in your DNA file.

ConditionInheritanceEvidence
TEK-related primary glaucomaMONDO:0800182 · Evaluated 2022-08-18Autosomal dominantDefinitiveGlaucoma and Neuro-Ophthalmology Gene Curation Expert Panel

ClinVar records

These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.

Submitted alleles
622
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
958
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
834
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
70
VariationIDs with uncertain significance
229
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
14

The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.

NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗

View this gene in ClinVar ↗

YOUR DNA FILE

Can your DNA file tell you about TEK?

From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 70 alleles in TEK reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.

From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.

If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.

What BioDecode checks

BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.

A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in TEK.

BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.

Sources and dates

The source information on this page last changed on 2026-10-10.

HGNC Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:40:45 GMT
Source record updated: 2023-01-20

SHA-256: e4cd9c6d7120051b80e5e61d2aeb98bd6a541ddd21f428a6eab922c11242e053

MedlinePlus Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:16:07 GMT
Source publication: 2020-08-18
Source review: 2009-08

SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a

ClinVar Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:15:29 GMT

SHA-256: 126d9e5bded1d43c0380ac6684c86f9aab056d2ff2be93d743e408ed917ae558

ClinGen Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:49:14 GMT

SHA-256: 5bbc9404c72cc21d80e36ea4c49380231755850af5c34064262adceb74881af6

About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record 0f2dcf367d32