
TheGDNFfamilymembers(GDNF,neurturinandpersephin)signalthroughmulticomponentreceptorsthatconsistoftheRetreceptortyrosinekinaseandoneoffourglycosyl-phosphatidylinositol(GPI)-linkedligand-bindingsubunits(GFRalpha-1-4).GFRalpha-1,-2,and-4arethepreferredligand-bindingsubunitsforGDNF,neurturinandpersephin,respectively.TheRettyrosine-kinasereceptorisencodedbythec-retproto-oncogene.HumanandmouseRetshare83%aminoacidsequencehomology.
Mutationsinthisgeneareassociatedwiththedisordersmultipleendocrineneoplasia,typeIIA,multipleendocrineneoplasia,typeIIB,Hirschsprungdisease,andmedullarythyroidcarcinoma.Twotranscriptvariantsencodingdifferentisoformshavebeenfoundforthisgene.
Image:Ret staining ofspermatagonialstemcells
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