Primary Citation of Related Structures:   1SGF
PubMed Abstract: 
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor that promotes the differentiation and survival of certain populations of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. 7S NGF is an alpha 2 beta 2 gamma 2 complex in which the beta-NGF dimer (the active neurotrophin) is associated with two alpha-NGF and two gamma-NGF subunits, which belong to the glandular kallikrein family of serine proteinases ...
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor that promotes the differentiation and survival of certain populations of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. 7S NGF is an alpha 2 beta 2 gamma 2 complex in which the beta-NGF dimer (the active neurotrophin) is associated with two alpha-NGF and two gamma-NGF subunits, which belong to the glandular kallikrein family of serine proteinases. The gamma-NGF subunit is an active serine proteinase capable of processing the precursor form of beta-NGF, whereas alpha-NGF is an inactive serine proteinase. The structure of 7S NGF could be used as a starting point to design inhibitors that prevent NGF binding to its receptors, as a potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Related Citations: 
Crystallization and Characterization of the High Molecular Weight Form of Nerve Growth Factor (7 S Ngf) Mcdonald, N.Q., Blundell, T.L. (1991) J Mol Biol 219: 595
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Crystallography, Birkbeck College, London, UK. b.bax@cryst.bbk.ac.uk