Ephrin A2 Explained

Ephrin-A2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EFNA2 gene.^[1]

This gene encodes a member of the ephrin family. The protein is composed of a signal sequence, a receptor-binding region, a spacer region, and a hydrophobic region. The EPH and EPH-related receptors comprise the largest subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases and have been implicated in mediating developmental events, particularly in the nervous system. Based on their structures and sequence relationships, ephrins are divided into the ephrin-A (EFNA) class, which are anchored to the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage, and the ephrin-B (EFNB) class, which are transmembrane proteins. Posttranslational modifications determine whether this protein localizes to the nucleus or the cytoplasm.

Further reading

• Flanagan JG, Vanderhaeghen P . The ephrins and Eph receptors in neural development . Annu. Rev. Neurosci. . 21 . 309–45 . 1998 . 9530499 . 10.1146/annurev.neuro.21.1.309 .
• Zhou R . The Eph family receptors and ligands . Pharmacol. Ther. . 77 . 3 . 151–81 . 1998 . 9576626 . 10.1016/S0163-7258(97)00112-5 .
• Holder N, Klein R . Eph receptors and ephrins: effectors of morphogenesis . Development . 126 . 10 . 2033–44 . 1999 . 10.1242/dev.126.10.2033 . 10207129 .
• Wilkinson DG . Eph receptors and ephrins: regulators of guidance and assembly . Int. Rev. Cytol. . 196 . 177–244 . 2000 . 10730216 . 10.1016/S0074-7696(00)96005-4 . International Review of Cytology . 978-0-12-364600-2 .
• Xu Q, Mellitzer G, Wilkinson DG . Roles of Eph receptors and ephrins in segmental patterning . Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. . 355 . 1399 . 993–1002 . 2001 . 11128993 . 10.1098/rstb.2000.0635 . 1692797 .
• Wilkinson DG . Multiple roles of EPH receptors and ephrins in neural development . Nat. Rev. Neurosci. . 2 . 3 . 155–64 . 2001 . 11256076 . 10.1038/35058515 . 205014301 .
• Gale NW . Eph receptors and ligands comprise two major specificity subclasses and are reciprocally compartmentalized during embryogenesis . Neuron . 17 . 1 . 9–19 . 1996 . 8755474 . 10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80276-7 . Holland SJ . Valenzuela DM . Flenniken . Ann . Pan . Li . Ryan . Terrence E . Henkemeyer . Mark . Strebhardt . Klaus . Hirai . Hisamaru . 1075856 . free .
• Ephnomenclaturecommittee. Unified nomenclature for Eph family receptors and their ligands, the ephrins. Eph Nomenclature Committee . Cell . 90 . 3 . 403–4 . 1997 . 9267020 . 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80500-0 . 26773768 . free .
• Cerretti DP, Nelson N . Characterization of the genes for mouse LERK-3/Ephrin-A3 (Epl3), mouse LERK-4/Ephrin-A4 (Epl4), and human LERK-6/Ephrin-A2 (EPLG6): conservation of intron/exon structure . Genomics . 47 . 1 . 131–5 . 1998 . 9465306 . 10.1006/geno.1997.5088 .
• Ciossek T . Eph receptor-ligand interactions are necessary for guidance of retinal ganglion cell axons in vitro . Eur. J. Neurosci. . 10 . 5 . 1574–80 . 1998 . 9751130 . 10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00180.x . Monschau B . Kremoser C . Loschinger . Jurgen . Lang . Susanne . Muller . Bernhard K. . Bonhoeffer . Friedrich . Drescher . Uwe . 20470923 .
• Aasheim HC, Pedeutour F, Grosgeorge J, Logtenberg T . Cloning, chromosal mapping, and tissue expression of the gene encoding the human Eph-family kinase ligand ephrin-A2 . Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. . 252 . 2 . 378–82 . 1998 . 9826538 . 10.1006/bbrc.1998.9618 .
• Gerlai R . Regulation of learning by EphA receptors: a protein targeting study . J. Neurosci. . 19 . 21 . 9538–49 . 1999 . 10531456 . 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.19-21-09538.1999. Shinsky N . Shih A . Williams . P . Winer . J . Armanini . M . Cairns . B . Winslow . J . Gao . W . 6782889 .
• Hattori M, Osterfield M, Flanagan JG . Regulated cleavage of a contact-mediated axon repellent . Science . 289 . 5483 . 1360–5 . 2000 . 10958785 . 10.1126/science.289.5483.1360 . 2000Sci...289.1360H .
• Rodger J . Expression of ephrin-A2 in the superior colliculus and EphA5 in the retina following optic nerve section in adult rat . Eur. J. Neurosci. . 14 . 12 . 1929–36 . 2002 . 11860487 . 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01822.x . Lindsey KA . Leaver SG . King . C. E. . Dunlop . S. A. . Beazley . L. D. . 24040732 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Entrez Gene: EFNA2 ephrin-A2.