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Structure, Function, and Mechanism of Progranulin; the Brain and Beyond

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Abstract

Mutation of human GRN, the gene encoding the secreted glycoprotein progranulin, results in a form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration that is characterized by the presence of ubiquitinated inclusions containing phosphorylated and cleaved fragments of the transactivation response element DNA-binding protein-43. This has stimulated interest in understanding the role of progranulin in the central nervous system, and in particular, how this relates to neurodegeneration. Progranulin has many roles outside the brain, including regulation of cellular proliferation, survival, and migration, in cancer, including cancers of the brain, in wound repair, and inflammation. It often acts through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phopshatidylinositol-3-kinases pathways. The neurobiology of progranulin has followed a similar pattern with proposed roles for progranulin (PGRN) in the central nervous system as a neuroprotective agent and in neuroinflammation. Here we review the structure, biology, and mechanism of progranulin action. By understanding PGRN in a wider context, we may be better able to delineate its roles in the normal brain and in neurodegenerative disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrine Research Laboratory, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, 687 Pine Ave West, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, Canada

    Huishi Toh, Babykumari P. Chitramuthu, Hugh P. J. Bennett & Andrew Bateman

  2. Neurodyn Inc., Suite 508, NRC-INH, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3, Canada

    Babykumari P. Chitramuthu

Authors
  1. Huishi Toh
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  2. Babykumari P. Chitramuthu
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  3. Hugh P. J. Bennett
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  4. Andrew Bateman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Bateman.

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The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, and Neurodyn Inc.

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Toh, H., Chitramuthu, B.P., Bennett, H.P.J. et al. Structure, Function, and Mechanism of Progranulin; the Brain and Beyond. J Mol Neurosci 45, 538–548 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-011-9569-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-011-9569-4

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