Neuregulins (NDF, heregulin, GGF ARIA, or SMDF) are EGF-like growth and differentiation factors that signal through tyrosine kinase receptors of the ErbB family. Here, we report a novel phenotype in mice with targeted mutations in the erbB2, erbB3, or neuregulin-1 genes. These three mutations cause a severe hypoplasia of the primary sympathetic ganglion chain. We provide evidence that migration...

BACKGROUND Neuregulins are a family of signalling proteins that orchestrate a broad range of cellular responses. Four genes encoding Neuregulins 1-4 have been identified so far in vertebrates. Among them, Neuregulin 1 and Neuregulin 3 have been reported to contribute to an increased risk for developing schizophrenia. We hypothesized that three specific variants of these genes (rs6994992 and rs3...

In the absence of somatic cells, medium conditioned by the SNL fibroblast line (SNL-CM) is able to stimulate primary cultures of rat type-A single spermatogonia to develop into chains of aligned spermatogonia at the 8-, 16-, and 32-cell stages. By comparison, medium conditioned by an MSC-1 Sertoli cell line is ineffective. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-like molecules were i...

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is one of Neuregulin proteins, a kind of epidermal growth factor encoded by the selective shear of NRG1 gene, which promotes proliferation, differentiation and survival of neurons, muscle and other cells. NRG 1 has an important regulating function on female reproductive endocrine. The research development of NRG1 in the field of animal reproductive endocrine is described on ...

Recent linkage studies have identified a significant association of the neuregulin gene with schizophrenia, but how neuregulin is involved in schizophrenia is primarily unknown. Aberrant NMDA receptor functions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Therefore, we hypothesize that neuregulin, which is present in glutamatergic synaptic vesicles, may affect NMDA receptor fun...

Neuregulin-1 has a key role in mediating signaling between axons and Schwann cells during development. A limitation to studying its role in adulthood is the embryonic lethality of global Nrg1 gene deletion. We used the Cre-loxP system to generate transgenic mice in which neuregulin-1 is conditionally ablated in the majority of small-diameter and a proportion of large-diameter sensory neurons th...