Neuregulin 2, also known as NRG2, 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 ...
which in humans is encoded by the ''NRG2''
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 ...
.
Function
Neuregulin 2 (NRG2) is a novel member of the
neuregulin
Neuregulins are a family of four structurally related proteins that are part of the epidermal growth factor family, EGF family of proteins. These proteins have been shown to have diverse functions in the development of the nervous system and play ...
family of growth and differentiation factors. Through interaction with the
ErbB
The ErbB family of proteins contains four receptor tyrosine kinases, structurally related to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), its first discovered member. In humans, the family includes Her1 (EGFR, ErbB1), Her2 ( ErbB2), Her3 (ErbB ...
family of receptors, NRG2 induces the growth and differentiation of epithelial, neuronal, glial, and other types of cells. The gene consists of 12 exons and the genomic structure is similar to that of
neuregulin 1 (NRG1), another member of the neuregulin family of ligands. NRG1 and NRG2 mediate distinct biological processes by acting at different sites in tissues and eliciting different biological responses in cells. The gene is located close to the region for demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease locus, but is not responsible for this disease. Alternative transcripts encoding distinct isoforms have been described.
References
Further reading
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Neurotrophic factors
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