EPH receptor A4 (ephrin type-A receptor 4) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EPHA4 gene. [5] [6]
This gene belongs to the ephrin receptor subfamily of the protein-tyrosine kinase family. EPH and EPH-related receptors have been implicated in mediating developmental events, particularly in the nervous system. Receptors in the EPH subfamily typically have a single kinase domain and an extracellular region containing a Cys-rich domain and 2 fibronectin type III repeats. The ephrin receptors are divided into 2 groups based on the similarity of their extracellular domain sequences and their affinities for binding ephrin-A and ephrin-B ligands. [6]
In 2012, a publication in Nature Medicine revealed a connection between EPHA4 and the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where a defective gene allows ALS patients to live considerably longer than patients with an intact gene. This suggests that EPHA4 could be a target for medical intervention. However, a 2019 study published in Scientific Reports found that EphA4 knockdown in a mouse model of ALS had no effect on survival. [7] Despite this result, a growing body of evidence implicates EPHA4 in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. [8]
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