General Description
EphA5 (ephrin receptor A5) is a receptor tyrosine kinase, which is a member of the ephrin receptor family. This family is divided into two classes A and B. EphA5 belongs to EphA group, which contains 10 members. The ligands to this group of receptors are glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored named ephrin-A1-A6. It is a highly regulated gene, and is expressed in both developing and adult central nervous system. In rat brain, three variants of EphA5 mRNA are found, with sizes 8.5, 5.9 and 5.1kb. In adult brain, it is expressed in deep cerebellar nuclei in the large neurons, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and in cerebellum in the Purkinje and granular cells.
Biochem/physiol Actions
EphA5 (ephrin receptor A5) is involved in the maintenance and development of differentiated neurons in the adult central nervous system. In ventromedial hypothalamus, alterations in synaptic plasticity and interactions of EphA5 might result in aberration of glucagon secretion, and responses to recurrent hypoglycemia. It is involved in cellular response to irradiation/ genotoxic stimuli, and lung cancer cells with inactivated EphA5 have aberrant G1/S cell cycle checkpoint. This protein is also up-regulated in lung cancer cells.
