Eph Protein Sampler Pack 2

Eph Protein Sampler Pack 2 Summary

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Product Datasheets

Background: Eph

The Eph receptors represent the largest family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) in the human genome. Their ligands, the ephrins, are also cell surface bound proteins, thereby requiring cell-cell interaction for binding and signaling. The ephrin ligands are divided into two categories: the A class are tethered to the membrane by a GPI anchor, and the B class are transmembrane proteins. Likewise, the receptors are also divided into two categories based on sequence similarity and ligand specificity. Ephrin-A ligands bind EphA receptors and ephrin-B ligands bind EphB receptors, with the exception of EphA4 which binds both A and B-type ligands.

Eph/ephrin signaling is involved in vascular development, tissue-border formation, brain boundaries, cell migration, axon guidance, and synaptic plasticity. Eph/ephrin signaling activation generally results in repulsion of cells and often converges on the regulation of the cytoskeleton. Like most RTKs, ligand binding induces "forward" signaling, where a response occurs in the Eph receptor-containing cell. However, in some circumstances, this family can also exhibit "reverse signaling" where ephrins act as receptors responding to Eph signals, and ephrins signal back into their host cell.

Related Research Areas

• Ephrin Ligands and Eph Receptors
• Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) in the Akt Pathway