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Structural highlights

Disease

MERTK_HUMAN Defects in MERTK are the cause of retinitis pigmentosa type 38 (RP38) [MIM:613862. RP38 is a retinal dystrophy belonging to the group of pigmentary retinopathies. Retinitis pigmentosa is characterized by retinal pigment deposits visible on fundus examination and primary loss of rod photoreceptor cells followed by secondary loss of cone photoreceptors. Patients typically have night vision blindness and loss of midperipheral visual field. As their condition progresses, they lose their far peripheral visual field and eventually central vision as well.^[1]

Function

MERTK_HUMAN Receptor tyrosine kinase that transduces signals from the extracellular matrix into the cytoplasm by binding to several ligands including LGALS3, TUB, TULP1 or GAS6. Regulates many physiological processes including cell survival, migration, differentiation, and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells (efferocytosis). Ligand binding at the cell surface induces autophosphorylation of MERTK on its intracellular domain that provides docking sites for downstream signaling molecules. Following activation by ligand, interacts with GRB2 or PLCG2 and induces phosphorylation of MAPK1, MAPK2, FAK/PTK2 or RAC1. MERTK signaling plays a role in various processes such as macrophage clearance of apoptotic cells, platelet aggregation, cytoskeleton reorganization and engulfment. Functions in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as a regulator of rod outer segments fragments phagocytosis. Plays also an important role in inhibition of Toll-like receptors (TLRs)-mediated innate immune response by activating STAT1, which selectively induces production of suppressors of cytokine signaling SOCS1 and SOCS3.^[2]

See Also

• Tyrosine kinase 3D structures

References

1. ↑ Gal A, Li Y, Thompson DA, Weir J, Orth U, Jacobson SG, Apfelstedt-Sylla E, Vollrath D. Mutations in MERTK, the human orthologue of the RCS rat retinal dystrophy gene, cause retinitis pigmentosa. Nat Genet. 2000 Nov;26(3):270-1. PMID:11062461 doi:10.1038/81555
2. ↑ Shimojima M, Takada A, Ebihara H, Neumann G, Fujioka K, Irimura T, Jones S, Feldmann H, Kawaoka Y. Tyro3 family-mediated cell entry of Ebola and Marburg viruses. J Virol. 2006 Oct;80(20):10109-16. PMID:17005688 doi:80/20/10109
3. ↑ Wong SW, Vivash L, Mudududdla R, Nguyen N, Hermans SJ, Shackleford DM, Field J, Xue L, Aprico A, Hancock NC, Haskali M, Stashko MA, Frye SV, Wang X, Binder MD, Ackermann U, Parker MW, Kilpatrick TJ, Baell JB. Development of [(18)F]MIPS15692, a radiotracer with in vitro proof-of-concept for the imaging of MER tyrosine kinase (MERTK) in neuroinflammatory disease. Eur J Med Chem. 2021 Dec 15;226:113822. PMID:34563964 doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113822