This gene encodes a member of the family of neuronal petraxins, synaptic proteins that are related to C-reactive protein. This protein is involved in excitatory synapse formation. It also plays a role in clustering of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors at established synapses, resulting in non-apoptotic cell death of dopaminergic nerve cells. Up-regulation of this gene in Parkinson disease (PD) tissues suggests that the protein may be involved in the pathology of PD. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in rats demonstrated that ultraviolet-B irradiation induced transcriptional changes in dorsal root ganglia, where the NPTX2 was significantly up-regulated with a fold change of 1.7, indicating its association with neuronal responses in an inflammatory pain model [Dawes et al. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0093338]. A study in rats and mice demonstrated that the NPTX2 mRNA is up-regulated in the cerebral cortex 24 hours after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) [Dash et al. DOI:10.23/B:NERE.0000023614.30084.eb].