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J Mol Neurosci 2015 Mar 27;55(3):663-77. Epub 2014 Aug 27.

Laboratory of Neural Signaling, Molecular Medicine Research Group, The Robarts Research Institute, 1151 Richmond St. N, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada.

The neurotrophins are a family of closely related growth factors that regulate proliferation and differentiation in the developing and mature nervous systems. Neurotrophins stimulate a family of receptor tyrosine kinases (Trk receptors) and utilize an intracellular docking protein termed fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor substrate 2 (FRS2) as a major downstream adapter to activate Ras, phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades. The goals of this study were twofold: first, to investigate the complexity of neurotrophin-induced FRS2 interactions in primary cortical neurons and to determine which pathway(s) are important in regulating neuronal growth and, second, to determine whether the related signaling adapter, FRS3, stimulates neuron growth comparable to FRS2. Read More

J Neurochem 2008 Mar 17;104(6):1466-77. Epub 2007 Nov 17.

Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.

The ganglioside GM1 promotes neuronal growth, differentiation, survival, phenotypic expression, and function restoration, by apparently interacting with neurotrophic factors and/or their receptors. In brain, GM1 activates the Trk receptors for neurotrophins and the Raf/MEK/ERK cascade in situ and in vivo. We have expanded these studies and explored whether GM1 recruits the phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3)-kinase pathway in brain also. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2005 Jul;95(4):805-16

Institute of Biochemistry I, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Nonnenplan 2, 07743 Jena, Germany.

c-Met is the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF). It mediates multiple cellular responses in development and adult life, and c-Met hyperactivity is associated with malignant transformation of cells and the acquisition of metastatic properties. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been shown to contribute to c-Met-mediated cell motility and is, thus, potentially involved in the control of invasive cell behavior. Read More

J Cell Biol 2000 Jun;149(7):1419-32

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, 13092 Berlin, Germany.

Gab1 is a substrate of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met and involved in c-Met-specific branching morphogenesis. It associates directly with c-Met via the c-Met-binding domain, which is not related to known phosphotyrosine-binding domains. In addition, Gab1 is engaged in a constitutive complex with the adaptor protein Grb2. Read More