VGF

protein
Name= VGF nerve growth factor inducible
caption=


width=
HGNCid=12684
Symbol=VGF
AltSymbols=
EntrezGene=7425
OMIM=602186
RefSeq=NM_003378
UniProt=O15240
PDB=
ECnumber=
Chromosome=7
Arm=q
Band=22
LocusSupplementaryData=

VGF or VGF nerve growth factor inducible is a protein and neuropeptide that may play a role in regulating energy homeostasis, metabolism cite journal |author=Hahm S, Mizuno TM, Wu TJ, Wisor JP, Priest CA, Kozak CA, Boozer CN, Peng B, McEvoy RC, Good P, Kelley KA, Takahashi JS, Pintar JE, Roberts JL, Mobbs CV, Salton SR |title=Targeted deletion of the Vgf gene indicates that the encoded secretory peptide precursor plays a novel role in the regulation of energy balance |journal=Neuron |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=537–48 |year=1999 |pmid=10433265 |doi=] and synaptic plasticity. cite journal |author=Alder J, Thakker-Varia S, Bangasser DA, Kuroiwa M, Plummer MR, Shors TJ, Black IB |title=Brain-derived neurotrophic factor-induced gene expression reveals novel actions of VGF in hippocampal synaptic plasticity |journal=J. Neurosci. |volume=23 |issue=34 |pages=10800–8 |year=2003 |pmid=14645472 |doi= [http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/full/23/34/10800 free full text] ] The protein was first discovered in 1985 by Lewi et al. cite journal |author=Levi A, Eldridge JD, Paterson BM |title=Molecular cloning of a gene sequence regulated by nerve growth factor |journal=Science |volume=229 |issue=4711 |pages=393–5 |year=1985 |pmid=3839317 |doi=] in an experiment with PC12 cells and its name is non-acronymic. VGF gene encodes a precursor which is divided by proteolysis to polypeptides of different mass. The expression is detected in a subset of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems and specific populations of endocrine cells in the adenohypophysis, adrenal medulla, gastrointestinal tract, and pancreas. cite journal |author=Levi A, Ferri GL, Watson E, Possenti R, Salton SR |title=Processing, distribution, and function of VGF, a neuronal and endocrine peptide precursor |journal=Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=517–33 |year=2004 |pmid=15233376 |doi=] VGF expression is induced by NGF and also regulated by BDNF and neurotrophin-3. Physical exercise significantly increases VGF expression in mice hippocampal tissue and upregulates a neurotrophic signaling cascade thought to underlie the action of antidepressants. cite journal |author=Hunsberger JG, Newton SS, Bennett AH, Duman CH, Russell DS, Salton SR, Duman RS |title=Antidepressant actions of the exercise-regulated gene VGF |journal=Nat. Med. |volume=13 |issue=12 |pages=1476–82 |year=2007 |pmid=18059283 |doi=10.1038/nm1669]

Role in pathology

Changes in expression of discrete VGF fragments have been detected in different neurological and psychiatric conditions. In schizophrenia, one study has shown an increase in the VGF23-62 peptide cite journal |author=Huang JT, Leweke FM, Oxley D, Wang L, Harris N, Koethe D, Gerth CW, Nolden BM, Gross S, Schreiber D, Reed B, Bahn S |title=Disease biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with first-onset psychosis |journal=PLoS Med. |volume=3 |issue=11 |pages=e428 |year=2006 |pmid=17090210 |doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030428] and a subsequent small study demonstrated that drugs further increase the expression, pointing at a possible ameliorating action of the fragment.

A decreased expression of VGF26-62 peptide was found in frontotemporal dementia cite journal |author=Rüetschi U, Zetterberg H, Podust VN, Gottfries J, Li S, Hviid Simonsen A, McGuire J, Karlsson M, Rymo L, Davies H, Minthon L, Blennow K |title=Identification of CSF biomarkers for frontotemporal dementia using SELDI-TOF |journal=Exp. Neurol. |volume=196 |issue=2 |pages=273–81 |year=2005 |pmid=16154129 |doi=10.1016/j.expneurol.2005.08.002] and the expression of a fragment containing aminoacids 378-398 was found to be changing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cite journal |author=Ranganathan S, Williams E, Ganchev P, Gopalakrishnan V, Lacomis D, Urbinelli L, Newhall K, Cudkowicz ME, Brown RH, Bowser R |title=Proteomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid identifies biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |journal=J. Neurochem. |volume=95 |issue=5 |pages=1461–71 |year=2005 |pmid=16313519 |doi=10.1111/j.1471-4159.2005.03478.x [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16313519 free full text] ] and Alzheimer’s disease. cite journal |author=Carrette O, Demalte I, Scherl A, Yalkinoglu O, Corthals G, Burkhard P, Hochstrasser DF, Sanchez JC |title=A panel of cerebrospinal fluid potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease |journal=Proteomics |volume=3 |issue=8 |pages=1486–94 |year=2003 |pmid=12923774 |doi=10.1002/pmic.200300470]

References