title: Nerve growth factor: structure/function relationships.
abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF), which has a tertiary structure based on a cluster of 3 cystine disulfides and 2 very extended, but distorted beta-hairpins, is the prototype of a larger family of neurotrophins. Prior to the availability of cloning techniques, the mouse submandibular gland was the richest source of NGF and provided sufficient material to enable its biochemical characterization. It binds as a dimer to at least 2 cell-surface receptor types expressed in a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Residues involved in these interactions and in the maintenance of tertiary and quaternary structure have been identified by chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis, and this information can be related to their location in the 3-dimensional structure. For example, interactions between aromatic residues contribute to the stability of the NGF dimer, and specific surface lysine residues participate in receptor contacts. The conclusion from these studies is that receptor interactions involve broad surface regions, which may be composed of residues from both promoters in the dimer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine 92717.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murray-Rust
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.forename: N Q
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lapatto
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Blundell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003196:Computer Graphics; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor