The monoclonal antibody EfrnB1 recognizes mouse ephrin-B1. Ephrin-B1 is a 38 kDa protein expressed in the floor plate and dorsal regions of the embryonic spinal cord including the roof plate. It is also expressed in mesenchymal cells which surround the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion. Ephrin-B1 is a ligand for the Eph receptor.
Erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular carcinoma (Eph) receptors and ephrins are plasma membrane proteins. They are classified into two subclasses, namely A and B, according to structural characteristics and binding specificities. Eph receptors are tyrosine kinases, which autophosphorylate upon binding to their cognate ephrin ligands. Eph receptors and ephrins are frequently expressed in reciprocal patterns that correlate with cellular boundaries during embryonic development.
A unique feature of Eph-ephrin interactions is that they can facilitate bi-directional communication between cells. Eph receptors and ephrin ligands are involved in various animal development processes, and implicated in some cancers. Eph-ephrin interactions mediate a variety of contact-dependent phenomena in both the developing and mature central nervous system. They are involved in neural crest cell migration, hindbrain segmentation, morphogenetic moments during gastrulation, brain guidance in the inner ear, retinal ganglion cell axon guidance and axon bundling in the hippocampus.