Neuregulin signaling via erbB receptor assemblies in the nervous system

Neuregulins (NRG) play important roles in the development, maintenance, and repair of the nervous system, with influences on neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, receptor subunit composition, and the proliferation/survival of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. However, the precise detail of how the NRGs signal through ErbB receptors, particularly at central synapses, is incomplete. The receptor kinase domain provides sites for association with adaptor proteins. In addition, evidence from recent reports suggests that ErbB2/4 receptors, through their C-terminal amino acids, can form specific associations with scaffolding proteins. The existence of such assemblies expands the range of signaling cascades available to the NRGs.