ARTN
Developmental stage
Expressed during embryogenesis. High level expression seen in fetal kidney and lung while a low level expression seen in the fetal brain.
Function
Growth factor that supports the survival of sensory and sympathetic peripheral neurons in culture and also supports the survival of dopaminergic neurons of the ventral mid-brain (PubMed:10583383, PubMed:9883723). Acts by binding to its coreceptor, GFRA3, leading to autophosphorylation and activation of the RET receptor (PubMed:31535977). Strong attractant of gut hematopoietic cells thus promoting the formation Peyer's patch-like structures, a major component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (By similarity).
Sequence Similarities
Belongs to the TGF-beta family. GDNF subfamily.
Tissue Specificity
Ubiquitous. Expressed at high levels in peripheral tissues including prostate, placenta, pancreas, heart, kidney, pituitary gland, lung and testis. Expressed at low levels in the brain.
Cellular localization
- Secreted
Alternative names
EVN, ARTN, Artemin, Enovin, Neublastin