Catalog Number:
(10782-028)
Clearance
Supplier:
Biosensis
Description:
Nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) is also referred to as p75(NTR) due to its molecular mass and its ability to bind at low affinity not only NGF (see 162030), but also other neurotrophins, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; 113505), neurotrophin-3 (NTF3; 162660), and neurotrophin-4/5 (NTF5; 162662). At the time of its discovery, NGFR was considered a unique type of protein. Subsequently, however, a large superfamily of tumor necrosis factor receptors were found to share the overall structure of NGFR (4 extracellular ligand-binding, cysteine-rich repeats, or CRs, and signaling through association with, or disassociation from, cytoplasmic interactors). The identification of this superfamily helped elucidate some of the biologic functions of NGFR, including its ultimate involvement in the nuclear factor kappa-B (NFKB; see 164011) and apoptosis pathways. As a monomer, NGFR binds NGF with low affinity. Higher affinity binding is achieved by association with higher molecular mass, low-affinity neurotrophin receptors, namely the tropomyosin receptor kinases, TRKA (NTRK1; 191315), TRKB (NTRK2; 600456), and TRKC (NTRK3; 191316). TRKA, TRKB, and TRKC are specific for or 'preferred by' NGF, NTF5 and BDNF, and NTF3, respectively (Ip et al., 1993). NTF3 also binds to TRKA and TRKB, but with significantly lower affinity
