NPTX2 explained

Neuronal pentraxin-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NPTX2 gene.^{[1] [2]}

Function

This gene encodes a member of the family of neuronal pentraxins, synaptic proteins that are related to C-reactive protein. This protein is involved in excitatory synapse formation. It also plays a role in clustering of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors at established synapses, resulting in non-apoptotic cell death of dopaminergic nerve cells.^[2]

Clinical significance

Up-regulation of this gene in Parkinson disease (PD) tissues suggests that the protein may be involved in the pathology of PD

Further reading

• Park JK, Ryu JK, Lee KH, etal . Quantitative analysis of NPTX2 hypermethylation is a promising molecular diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer. . Pancreas . 35 . 3 . e9–15 . 2007 . 17895837 . 10.1097/MPA.0b013e318153fa42 . 31006962 .
• Marui T, Koishi S, Funatogawa I, etal . No association between the neuronal pentraxin II gene polymorphism and autism. . Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry . 31 . 4 . 940–3 . 2007 . 17408830 . 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.02.016 . 23877321 .
• Poulsen TT, Pedersen N, Perin MS, etal . Specific sensitivity of small cell lung cancer cell lines to the snake venom toxin taipoxin . Lung Cancer . 50 . 3 . 329–37 . 2006 . 16115696 . 10.1016/j.lungcan.2005.06.011 .
• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA, etal . The Status, Quality, and Expansion of the NIH Full-Length cDNA Project: The Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 .
• Hillier LW, Fulton RS, Fulton LA, etal . The DNA sequence of human chromosome 7 . Nature . 424 . 6945 . 157–64 . 2003 . 12853948 . 10.1038/nature01782 . 2003Natur.424..157H . free .
• Scherer SW, Cheung J, MacDonald JR, etal . Human Chromosome 7: DNA Sequence and Biology . Science . 300 . 5620 . 767–72 . 2003 . 12690205 . 10.1126/science.1083423 . 2882961 . 2003Sci...300..767S .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH, etal . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . free .
• Kirkpatrick LL, Matzuk MM, Dodds DC, Perin MS . Biochemical interactions of the neuronal pentraxins. Neuronal pentraxin (NP) receptor binds to taipoxin and taipoxin-associated calcium-binding protein 49 via NP1 and NP2 . J. Biol. Chem. . 275 . 23 . 17786–92 . 2000 . 10748068 . 10.1074/jbc.M002254200 . free .
• Dodds DC, Omeis IA, Cushman SJ, etal . Neuronal pentraxin receptor, a novel putative integral membrane pentraxin that interacts with neuronal pentraxin 1 and 2 and taipoxin-associated calcium-binding protein 49 . J. Biol. Chem. . 272 . 34 . 21488–94 . 1997 . 9261167 . 10.1074/jbc.272.34.21488 . free .

Notes and References

1. Hsu YC, Perin MS . Human neuronal pentraxin II (NPTX2): conservation, genomic structure, and chromosomal localization . Genomics . 28 . 2 . 220–7 . Feb 1996 . 8530029 . 10.1006/geno.1995.1134 .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: NPTX2 neuronal pentraxin II.