EphA7 Antibody – Polyclonal

This gene belongs to the ephrin receptor subfamily of the protein-tyrosine kinase family. EPH and EPH-related receptors have been implicated in mediating developmental events, particularly in the nervous system. Receptors in the EPH subfamily typically have a single kinase domain and an extracellular region containing a Cys-rich domain and 2 fibronectin type III repeats. The ephrin receptors are divided into 2 groups based on the similarity of their extracellular domain sequences and their affinities for binding ephrin-A and ephrin-B ligands. Increased expression of this gene is associated with multiple forms of carcinoma. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2013]

Receptor tyrosine kinase which binds promiscuously GPI-anchored ephrin-A family ligands residing on adjacent cells, leading to contact-dependent bidirectional signaling into neighboring cells. The signaling pathway downstream of the receptor is referred to as forward signaling while the signaling pathway downstream of the ephrin ligand is referred to as reverse signaling. Among GPI-anchored ephrin-A ligands, EFNA5 is a cognate/functional ligand for EPHA7 and their interaction regulates brain development modulating cell-cell adhesion and repulsion. Has a repellent activity on axons and is for instance involved in the guidance of corticothalamic axons and in the proper topographic mapping of retinal axons to the colliculus. May also regulate brain development through a caspase(CASP3)-dependent proapoptotic activity. Forward signaling may result in activation of components of the ERK signaling pathway including MAP2K1, MAP2K2, MAPK1 AND MAPK3 which are phosphorylated upon activation of EPHA7.