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ABSTRACT Sortilin1 (∼95 kDa) is a member of the recently discovered family of Vps10p-domain receptors2,3, and is expressed in a variety of tissues, notably brain, spinal cord and muscle. It
acts as a receptor for neurotensin4,5, but predominates in regions of the nervous system that neither synthesize nor respond to this neuropeptide6, suggesting that sortilin has additional
roles. Sortilin is expressed during embryogenesis7 in areas where nerve growth factor (NGF) and its precursor, proNGF, have well-characterized effects6,7. These neurotrophins can be released
by neuronal tissues8,9, and they regulate neuronal development through cell survival and cell death signalling. NGF regulates cell survival and cell death via binding to two different
receptors, TrkA and p75NTR (ref. 10). In contrast, proNGF selectively induces apoptosis through p75NTR but not TrkA11. However, not all p75NTR-expressing cells respond to proNGF, suggesting
that additional membrane proteins are required for the induction of cell death. Here we report that proNGF creates a signalling complex by simultaneously binding to p75NTR and sortilin. Thus
sortilin acts as a co-receptor and molecular switch governing the p75NTR-mediated pro-apoptotic signal induced by proNGF. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview
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P75NTR ACTIVATION: INTRINSICALLY MONOMERIC STATE OF DEATH DOMAINS INVOKES THE "HELPER" HYPOTHESIS Article Open access 13 August 2020 SURVIVAL OF COMPROMISED ADULT SENSORY NEURONS
INVOLVES MACROVESICULAR FORMATION Article Open access 24 November 2022 ANALYSIS OF THE EARLY RESPONSE TO SPINAL CORD INJURY IDENTIFIED A KEY ROLE FOR MTORC1 SIGNALING IN THE ACTIVATION OF
NEURAL STEM PROGENITOR CELLS Article Open access 22 October 2021 REFERENCES * Petersen, C. M. et al. Molecular identification of a novel candidate sorting receptor purified from human brain
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(1998) CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank M. V. Chao and G. R. Lewin for valuable discussions. J. Salzer, R. Kraemer and P. Fischer
are acknowledged for reagents and advice, and S. Tevar for assistance in p75NTR mice genotyping. This work was supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Danish Medical Research Council,
The Carlsberg Foundation (A.N. and C.M.P.) and the NIH (B.L.H. and R.L.). AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ole Worms Allé 170, Aarhus
University, Gustav Wieds vej 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark Anders Nykjaer, Pernille Jansen, Peder Madsen, Morten S. Nielsen, Christian Jacobsen & Claus M. Petersen * ReceptIcon Aps,
Gustav Wieds vej 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark Anders Nykjaer & Thomas E. Willnow * Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, 10021, New York, USA Ramee Lee, Kenneth K.
Teng & Barbara L. Hempstead * Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, 13125, Berlin, Germany Pernille Jansen & Thomas E. Willnow * Institute for Biotechnology,
Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle, Germany Marco Kliemannel & Elisabeth Schwarz Authors * Anders Nykjaer View author publications You can also search for this
author inPubMed Google Scholar * Ramee Lee View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Kenneth K. Teng View author publications You can also search
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can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Morten S. Nielsen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Christian Jacobsen View
author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Marco Kliemannel View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *
Elisabeth Schwarz View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Thomas E. Willnow View author publications You can also search for this author
inPubMed Google Scholar * Barbara L. Hempstead View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Claus M. Petersen View author publications You can also
search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Anders Nykjaer. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare that they have no competing
financial interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Nykjaer, A., Lee, R., Teng, K. _et al._ Sortilin is essential for proNGF-induced
neuronal cell death. _Nature_ 427, 843–848 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02319 Download citation * Received: 03 November 2003 * Accepted: 23 December 2003 * Issue Date: 26 February
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