Biology of the Neuregulin/ErbB Signaling Network

Abstract

Neuregulins (NRGs) comprise a large family of EGF-like signaling molecules that are involved in cell-cell communication during development as well as in the adult. They are primarily expressed in the nervous system, heart, mammary gland, intestine, and kidneys. Neuregulins transmit their signals to target cells by interacting with transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptors of the ErbB family. Receptor-ligand interaction activates intracellular signaling cascades that induce cellular responses including proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival or apoptosis (Lemke 1996; Burden and Yarden 1997; Adlkofer and Lai 2000; Garratt et al. 2000a; Buonanno and Fischbach 2001; Yarden and Sliwkowski 2001; Citri et al. 2003; Falls 2003).