Bradshaw R A, Blundell T L, Lapatto R, McDonald N Q, Murray-Rust J
Department of Biological Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92717.
Trends Biochem Sci. 1993 Feb;18(2):48-52. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(93)90052-o.
Recent studies on nerve growth factor have revealed important new insights into the structure, function and evolution of this prototypical neurotrophic factor. Some of its features are (1) it has a unique three-dimensional fold that has since been found in two other growth factors, (2) it uses the trk proto-oncogene product, which has a tyrosine kinase, as a receptor and (3) it shares homology with at least three other factors, now collectively called neurotrophins, which have a spectrum of target cells.
最近关于神经生长因子的研究揭示了对这种典型神经营养因子的结构、功能和进化的重要新见解。它的一些特征包括：（1）它具有独特的三维折叠结构，后来在另外两种生长因子中也被发现；（2）它利用具有酪氨酸激酶的trk原癌基因产物作为受体；（3）它与至少其他三种因子具有同源性，现在这些因子统称为神经营养因子，它们具有一系列靶细胞。
