Repulsive guidance molecule

Repulsive Guidance Molecules (RGMs) are members of a three gene family (in vertebrates) composed of RGMa, RGMb, and RGMc (also called hemojuvelin). RGMa has been implicated to play an important role in the developing brain and in the scar tissue that forms after a brain injury. For example, RGMa helps guide Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) axons to the tectum in the midbrain. It has also been demonstrated that after induced spinal cord injury RGMa accumulates in the scar tissue around the lesion. Further research has shown that RGMa is an inhibitor of axonal outgrowth. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of RGMa in axonal guidance and outgrowth.^[1]

Family members

RGM domain family, member A Identifiers Symbol RGMA Alt. symbols RGM Entrez 56963 HUGO 30308 OMIM 607362 RefSeq NM_020211 UniProt Q96B86 Other data Locus Chr. 15 q26.1

RGM domain family, member B Identifiers Symbol RGMB Alt. symbols DRAGON Entrez 285704 HUGO 26896 OMIM 612687 RefSeq NM_173670 UniProt Q6NW40 Other data Locus Chr. 5 q21.1

hemochromatosis type 2 Identifiers Symbol HFE2 Alt. symbols RGMC, HJV, hemojuvelin Entrez 148738 HUGO 4887 OMIM 608374 RefSeq NM_145277 UniProt Q6ZVN8 Other data Locus Chr. 1 q21.2

References

1. Severyn CJ, Shinde U, Rotwein P (September 2009). "Molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry of the repulsive guidance molecule family". Biochem. J. 422 (3): 393–403. doi:10.1042/BJ20090978. PMID 19698085.