title: Neurotrophins: to cleave or not to cleave.
abstract: The family of neurotrophic factors known as neurotrophins has yielded a series of surprises, both with regard to the broad extent of their functional roles and the remarkable complexity of their signaling mechanisms. The recent discovery that a neurotrophin precursor protein and its proteolytically processed products may differentially activate pro- and antiapoptotic cellular responses, through preferential activation of Trk or p75 receptors, promises to unveil yet another level of regulatory complexity.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. chao@saturn.med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Moses V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bothwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020800:Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011498:Protein Precursors; D020800:Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases