Nerve growth factor
| Nerve growth factor | ||
|---|---|---|
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| NGF beta dimer + 2 TRKA receptor, human | ||
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Existing structural data: s. UniProt |
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| Properties of human protein | ||
| Mass / length primary structure | 120 amino acids | |
| Secondary to quaternary structure | Homodimer | |
| Identifier | ||
| Gene name | NGF | |
| External IDs | ||
| Occurrence | ||
| Parent taxon | Vertebrates | |
The nerve growth factor ( english nerve growth factor , beta-NGF ) is a protein in vertebrates . It was discovered in the 1950s by Rita Levi-Montalcini and Viktor Hamburger and is one of many neurotrophic factors . NGF belongs to the group of neurotrophins . Mutations in the NGF - gene can be a hereditary neuropathy lead (HSAN5).
function
In embryonic development , millions of axons have to find a way to the right dendrites and synaptic connections in order for a functional nervous system to develop. To find this path, target structures in the central nervous system release mediator substances, which are called chemokines . Following the increasing concentration of chemokines, the sprouting of the nerve fibers finally reach their destination. NGF was discovered because in cell culture it has the potency to induce nerve cells to form such sprouts.
However, recent research has shown that other chemokines ( netrins ) serve as orientation signals in the living organism ( in vivo ) . Rather, NGF has a stabilizing effect on existing synaptic connections. This thesis was also supported by the fact that the withdrawal of NGF leads to increased cell death (programmed cell death, apoptosis ).
It has also been shown that if the skin (in the periphery of the body) is damaged, NGF is released and the injured nerve cells sprout. (Also in the laminae I, II and V ( Rexed zones ) in the spinal cord there is a release of NGF and calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) and leads to the sprouting of the same axon.)
Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1986 for research on nerve growth factors.
The gene expression of NGF can be induced in astroglia by dictyophorins .
literature
- R. Levi-Montalcini: The nerve growth factor 35 years later . In: Science. 237.1987, 1154-1162
Individual evidence
Web links
- Nasi / Anibali / reactome: Signaling by NGF