Neuregulin 4 also known as NRG4 is a member of the
neuregulin
Neuregulins or neuroregulins are a family of four structurally related proteins that are part of the EGF family of proteins. These proteins have been shown to have diverse functions in the development of the nervous system and play multiple essen ...
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
family which in humans is encoded by the ''NRG4''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
Function
The neuregulins, including NRG4, activate erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (
ERBB4
Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-4 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''ERBB4'' gene. Alternatively spliced variants that encode different protein isoforms have been described; however, not all variants have been fully characteriz ...
) to initiating cell signaling through cytosolic tyrosine phosphorylation.
Clinical significance
Loss of expression of NRG4 is frequently seen in advanced
bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become mali ...
while increased NRG4 expression correlates to better survival.
References
Further reading
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Neurotrophic factors
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