title: A ligand for ALK.
abstract: The receptor tyrosine kinase ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase), as its name suggests, is aberrantly activated, mutated, or abundant in multiple cancers. Although widely studied in the context of cancer, the ligand that normally binds to and activates ALK in vertebrates has remained elusive. In this issue of Science Signaling, Murray and colleagues identify heparin as an ALK ligand.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. lemke@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Erin D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Lew
mesh_terms: D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D006493:Heparin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D057050:Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D006493:Heparin; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D057050:Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptors