Src homology 3 domain of the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor, ephexin-1 (also called NGEF or ARHGEF27)
Ephexin-1, also called NGEF (neuronal GEF) or ARHGEF27, activates RhoA, Tac1, and Cdc42 by exchanging bound GDP for free GTP. It is expressed mainly in the brain in a region associated with movement control. It regulates the stability of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters and thus, plays a critical role in the maturation and neurotransmission of neuromuscular junctions. Ephexin-1 directly interacts with the ephrin receptor EphA4 and their coexpression enhances the ability of ephexin-1 to activate RhoA. It is required for normal axon growth and EphA-induced growth cone collapse. Ephexin-1 contains RhoGEF (also called Dbl-homologous or DH), Pleckstrin Homology (PH), and SH3 domains. The SH3 domains of ARHGEFs play an autoinhibitory role through intramolecular interactions with a proline-rich region N-terminal to the DH domain. SH3 domains are protein interaction domains that bind to proline-rich ligands with moderate affinity and selectivity, preferentially to PxxP motifs. They play versatile and diverse roles in the cell including the regulation of enzymes, changing the subcellular localization of signaling pathway components, and mediating the formation of multiprotein complex assemblies.
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