title: Neu differentiation factors: a family of alternatively spliced neuronal and mesenchymal factors.
abstract: The Neu proto-oncogene (also called ErbB-2 and HER-2) encodes a tyrosine kinase transmembrane receptor homologous to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). Overexpression, a point-mutation, and co-expression with EGF-R activate the oncogenic potential of the Neu protein by permanent coupling to signal transducing pathways. The search for ligands that elevate tyrosine phosphorylation of Neu led to the discovery of a 44-kDa glycoprotein that acts either as a differentiation factor or as a mitogen for mammary tumor cells. This protein, termed Neu differentiation factor (NDF), is derived from a transmembrane precursor that contains an EGF-like motif and an immunoglobulin-like domain. Alternative splicing generates a dozen NDF-related proteins that are expressed in a variety of mesenchymal and neuronal tissues. This unprecedented multiplicity raises the possibility that different isoforms fulfill distinct biological roles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben-Baruch
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yarden
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human