VGF

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

VGF nerve growth factor inducible
Identifiers
Symbol VGF
Entrez 7425
HUGO 12684
OMIM 602186
RefSeq NM_003378
UniProt O15240
Other data
Locus Chr. 7 q22

VGF or VGF nerve growth factor inducible is a protein and neuropeptide that may play a role in regulating energy homeostasis, metabolism[1] and synaptic plasticity.[2] The protein was first discovered in 1985 by Lewi et al.[3] in an experiment with PC12 cells and its name is non-acronymic. VGF gene encodes a precursor which is divided by proteolysis to polypeptides of different mass. The expression is detected in a subset of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems and specific populations of endocrine cells in the adenohypophysis, adrenal medulla, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas. [4] VGF expression is induced by NGF and also regulated by BDNF and neurotrophin-3. Physical exercise significantly increases VGF expression in mice hippocampal tissue and upregulates a neurotrophic signaling cascade thought to underlie the action of antidepressants.[5]

[edit] Role in pathology

Changes in expression of discrete VGF fragments have been detected in different neurological and psychiatric conditions. In schizophrenia, one study has shown an increase in the VGF23-62 peptide[6] and a subsequent small study demonstrated that drugs further increase the expression, pointing at a possible ameliorating action of the fragment.

A decreased expression of VGF26-62 peptide was found in frontotemporal dementia[7] and the expression of a fragment containing aminoacids 378-398 was found to be changing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis[8] and Alzheimer’s disease.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hahm S, Mizuno TM, Wu TJ, Wisor JP, Priest CA, Kozak CA, Boozer CN, Peng B, McEvoy RC, Good P, Kelley KA, Takahashi JS, Pintar JE, Roberts JL, Mobbs CV, Salton SR (1999). "Targeted deletion of the Vgf gene indicates that the encoded secretory peptide precursor plays a novel role in the regulation of energy balance". Neuron 23 (3): 537–48. PMID 10433265. 
  2. ^ Alder J, Thakker-Varia S, Bangasser DA, Kuroiwa M, Plummer MR, Shors TJ, Black IB (2003). "Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-induced gene expression reveals novel actions of VGF in hippocampal synaptic plasticity". J. Neurosci. 23 (34): 10800–8. PMID 14645472. free full text
  3. ^ Levi A, Eldridge JD, Paterson BM (1985). "Molecular cloning of a gene sequence regulated by nerve growth factor". Science 229 (4711): 393–5. PMID 3839317. 
  4. ^ Levi A, Ferri GL, Watson E, Possenti R, Salton SR (2004). "Processing, distribution, and function of VGF, a neuronal and endocrine peptide precursor". Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. 24 (4): 517–33. PMID 15233376. 
  5. ^ Hunsberger JG, Newton SS, Bennett AH, Duman CH, Russell DS, Salton SR, Duman RS (2007). "Antidepressant actions of the exercise-regulated gene VGF". Nat. Med. 13 (12): 1476–82. doi:10.1038/nm1669. PMID 18059283. 
  6. ^ Huang JT, Leweke FM, Oxley D, Wang L, Harris N, Koethe D, Gerth CW, Nolden BM, Gross S, Schreiber D, Reed B, Bahn S (2006). "Disease biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with first-onset psychosis". PLoS Med. 3 (11): e428. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030428. PMID 17090210. 
  7. ^ Rüetschi U, Zetterberg H, Podust VN, Gottfries J, Li S, Hviid Simonsen A, McGuire J, Karlsson M, Rymo L, Davies H, Minthon L, Blennow K (2005). "Identification of CSF biomarkers for frontotemporal dementia using SELDI-TOF". Exp. Neurol. 196 (2): 273–81. doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2005.08.002. PMID 16154129. 
  8. ^ Ranganathan S, Williams E, Ganchev P, Gopalakrishnan V, Lacomis D, Urbinelli L, Newhall K, Cudkowicz ME, Brown RH, Bowser R (2005). "Proteomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid identifies biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis". J. Neurochem. 95 (5): 1461–71. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2005.03478.x. PMID 16313519. free full text
  9. ^ Carrette O, Demalte I, Scherl A, Yalkinoglu O, Corthals G, Burkhard P, Hochstrasser DF, Sanchez JC (2003). "A panel of cerebrospinal fluid potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease". Proteomics 3 (8): 1486–94. doi:10.1002/pmic.200300470. PMID 12923774. 
 This article on a gene on chromosome 7 is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.