NRG4
Encyclopedia
Neuregulin 4 also known as NRG4 is a member of the neuregulin
Neuregulin
The Neuregulins 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 essential roles in vertebrate embryogenesis including: cardiac...

 protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 family which in humans is encoded by the NRG4 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

The neuregulins, including NRG4, activate type-1 growth factor receptors (EGFR
Epidermal growth factor receptor
The epidermal growth factor receptor is the cell-surface receptor for members of the epidermal growth factor family of extracellular protein ligands...

) to initiating cell-to-cell signaling through tyrosine phosphorylation.

Clinical significance

Loss of expression of NRG4 is frequently seen in advanced bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...

while increased NRG4 expression correlates to better survival.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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