Murai Keith K, Pasquale Elena B
The Burnham Institute, Neurobiology Program, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
J Cell Sci. 2003 Jul 15;116(Pt 14):2823-32. doi: 10.1242/jcs.00625.
The Eph receptors comprise the largest group of receptor tyrosine kinases and are found in a wide variety of cell types in developing and mature tissues. Their ligands are the ephrins, a family of membrane-bound proteins found in lipid rafts. In the past decade, Eph receptors and ephrins have been implicated in a vast array of cellular processes. Unlike other receptor tyrosine kinases, however, the Eph receptors seem to be geared towards regulating cell shape and movement rather than proliferation. Studies have uncovered intricate signaling networks that center around the ligand-receptor complex, and this may account for the broad repertoire of functions of Eph proteins. Deciphering the bi-directional pathways emanating from an Eph receptor-ephrin complex will not only help us to understand basic biological processes, but may also provide important insight into disease.
Eph受体是受体酪氨酸激酶中最大的一类，在发育中和成熟组织的多种细胞类型中均有发现。它们的配体是ephrin，这是一类存在于脂筏中的膜结合蛋白家族。在过去十年中，Eph受体和ephrin参与了大量的细胞过程。然而，与其他受体酪氨酸激酶不同，Eph受体似乎更倾向于调节细胞形状和运动，而非细胞增殖。研究发现了围绕配体-受体复合物的复杂信号网络，这可能解释了Eph蛋白功能的多样性。解析源自Eph受体-ephrin复合物的双向信号通路不仅有助于我们理解基本生物学过程，还可能为疾病提供重要的见解。
