Neurogenic locus notch homolog 4 (Notch 4) is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''NOTCH4''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
located on
chromosome 6.
Gene
An
alternative splice variant
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* Alternative comics, or independent comics are an alternative to mainstream superh ...
of the NOTCH4 gene has been described, but its biological significance has not been determined.
Structure
The neurogenic locus notch homolog 4 protein is a member of the
Notch family. Members of this
type 1 transmembrane protein
A single-pass membrane protein also known as single-spanning protein or bitopic protein is a transmembrane protein that spans the lipid bilayer only once. These proteins may constitute up to 50% of all transmembrane proteins, depending on the org ...
family share structural characteristics. These include an extracellular domain consisting of multiple
epidermal growth factor-like (EGF)
repeats, and an intracellular domain that consists of multiple, but different, domain types.
Function
Notch protein family members play a role in a variety of developmental processes by controlling cell fate decisions. The
Notch signaling pathway
The Notch signaling pathway is a highly Conserved sequence, conserved cell signaling system present in most animal, animals. Mammals possess four different Notch proteins, notch receptors, referred to as NOTCH1, NOTCH2, Notch 3, NOTCH3, and NOTC ...
is an evolutionarily conserved intercellular signaling pathway that regulates interactions between physically adjacent cells
In
Drosophila
''Drosophila'' (), from Ancient Greek δρόσος (''drósos''), meaning "dew", and φίλος (''phílos''), meaning "loving", is a genus of fly, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or p ...
, ''notch'' interacts with its cell-bound ligands (delta and serrate), and establishes an intercellular signaling pathway that then plays a key role in development. Homologues of the ''notch''-ligands have also been identified in humans, but precise interactions between these ligands and the human ''notch'' homologues remain to be determined. The ''notch'' protein is cleaved in the
trans-Golgi network, and then presented on the cell surface as a
heterodimer
In biochemistry, a protein dimer is a macromolecular complex or multimer formed by two protein monomers, or single proteins, which are usually non-covalently bound. Many macromolecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, form dimers. The word ...
. The protein functions as a receptor for membrane bound ligands, and may play a role in vascular, renal, and hepatic development.
Clinical significance
Mutations in the ''notch4'' gene may be associated with susceptibility to
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
in a small portion of cases.
References
Further reading
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{{Notch signaling pathway