NELL2 Recombinant Protein

NELL2 is a neuron-specific thrombospondin-1-like extracellular protein containing six epidermal growth factor-like domains (1) . It is highly expressed in the hippocampus in vivo (2) and promotes survival of rat primary cultured neurons through activation of JNK and suppression of ERK (3) . As ERK is required for the induction of hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) and JNK appears to be inhibitory on LTP (4,5), it had been suggested that NELL2 may play a role in synaptic plasticity. More recently, NELL2 has been shown to promote differentiation of motor and sensory neurons and stimulates mitogenesis of dorsal root ganglia in chickens (6) .

Store in working aliquots at -70˚ C. Avoid freeze/thaw cycles. When working with proteins care should be taken to keep recombinant protein at a cool and stable temperature.

Matsuhashi S, Noji S, Koyama E, et al. New gene, nel, encoding a M (r) 93 K protein with EGF-like repeats is strongly expressed in neural tissues of early stage chick embryos. Dev. Dyn. 1995; 203:212-22.

Oyasu M, Kuroda S, Nakashita M, et al. Immunocytochemical localization of a neuron-specific thrombospondin-1-like protein, NELL2: light and electron microscopic studies in the rat brain. Mol. Brain Res. 2000; 76:151-60.

Aihara K, Kuroda S, Kanamaya N, et al. A neuron-specific EGF family protein, NELL2, promotes survival of neurons through mitogen-activated protein kinases. Mol. Brain Res. 2003; 116:86-93.