Ephrin-A2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''EFNA2'' gene. This gene encodes a member of the

ephrin Ephrins (also known as ephrin ligands or Eph family receptor interacting proteins) are a family of proteins that serve as the ligands of the Eph receptor. Eph receptors in turn compose the largest known subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinas ...

family. The protein is composed of a signal sequence, a receptor-binding region, a spacer region, and a hydrophobic region. The EPH and EPH-related receptors comprise the largest subfamily of

receptor protein-tyrosine kinases Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are the high-affinity cell surface receptors for many polypeptide growth factors, cytokines, and hormones. Of the 90 unique tyrosine kinase genes identified in the human genome, 58 encode receptor tyrosine kinase ...

and have been implicated in mediating developmental events, particularly in the nervous system. Based on their structures and sequence relationships, ephrins are divided into the ephrin-A (EFNA) class, which are anchored to the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage, and the ephrin-B (EFNB) class, which are transmembrane proteins. Posttranslational modifications determine whether this protein localizes to the nucleus or the cytoplasm.

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