Authors: Cole Marra and Prateek Swamykumar
Place of Origin
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a protein that is manufactured in the kidneys and binds to receptors in the bone marrow.
Structure
EPO is made up of a 166 amino acid chain. There are 4 shown in red which are arranged in a bundle. In the tertiary structure, there are two disulfide bonds, shown in yellow, which hold together this bundle. There are two active sites; responsible for binding to the receptor and that cause dimerization.
Function
EPO receptors in the bone marrow triggers a signal transduction pathway that causes egress of red blood cells into the periphery.
Disease
Relevance
