| Primary Identifier | IPR034252 | Type | Domain |
| Short Name | Ephrin-A_Ecto |
| description | Ephrins and their receptors EphR play an important role in cell communication in normal physiology, as well as in disease pathogenesis [, ]. Binding of the ephrin (Eph) ligand to EphR requires cell-cell contact, since both molecules are anchored to the plasma membrane. The resulting downstream signals occur bidirectionally in both EphR-expressing cells (forward signaling, depending on Eph kinase activity) and ephrin-expressing cells (reverse signaling) [, , ]. Eph signaling controls cell morphology, adhesion, migration and invasion.Ephrins can be subdivided into two groups, A and B, depending on their respective receptors EphA or EphB. The nine human EphA receptors bind to five GPI-linked ephrin-A ligands []. Interactions are promiscuous within each class, and some Eph receptors can also bind to ephrins of the other class. All ephrin As contain a highly conserved receptor binding ectodomain described by this entry. Although ephrin As do not have a cytoplasmic tail (in contrast to ephrin Bs), they are still capable of downstream activation of Src family kinases and phosphoinositide-3-kinases, most likely involving co-receptors such as neurotrophin receptors [, ]. |
