Reelin Glycoprotein

Reelin glycoprotein is a serine protease with important roles in embryogenesis and during adult life. This comprehensive and integrative book examines the role that reelin plays in the etiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and autism. The book provides an unprecedented analysis of this emerging and novel protein by examining evidence from genetic, neuroanatomic, biochemical, and behavioral studies.Reelin glycoprotein is a major secretory protein with important roles in embryogenesis and during adult life. Reelin gene mutations or deficiency of the protein product cause abnormal cortical development and reelin signaling impairment in brain. Since the first discovery of the reelin mutant mouse in 1951 by Falconer, and later discovery of the gene for reelin in 1995, there has been an explosion of new knowledge about this important molecule. Reelin Glycoprotein: Structure, Biology and Roles in Health and Disease, written by an international panel of experts, summarizes the state of the knowledge on various aspects of reelin. Topics include the reelin gene and its receptors, downstream effector molecules in reelin signaling cascade, chemistry and structure of reelin, comparative anatomy of reelin, presence of reelin in various body tissues, reelin mutations, and abnormalities of reelin production in neuropsychiatric disorders and cancer. This book will serve as a foundation for analysis of this emerging novel protein for all neuroscientists and clinicians.