neurotrophins

Definition: The neurotrophins and their receptors play an important role in regulating development of both the central and the peripheral nervous systems.

Nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) (MIM.162010) is also referred to as p75(NTR) due to its molecular mass and its ability to bind at low affinity not only NGF (MIM.162030), but also other neurotrophins, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (MIM.113505), neurotrophin-3 (NTF3) (MIM.162660), and neurotrophin-4/5 (NTF5) (MIM.162662).

As a monomer, NGFR binds NGF with low affinity. Higher affinity binding is achieved by association with higher molecular mass, low-affinity neurotrophin receptors, namely the tropomyosin receptor kinases, TRKA (NTRK1) (MIM.191315), TRKB (NTRK2) (MIM.600456), and TRKC (NTRK3) (MIM.191316).

TRKA, TRKB, and TRKC are specific for or ’preferred by’ NGF, NTF5 and BDNF, and NTF3, respectively. NTF3 also binds to TRKA and TRKB, but with significantly lower affinity.

See also

 NTFs
 BDNF
 NGF