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Medical Definition of Neurotrophin 3
1. Member of the family of neurotrophic factors or neurotrophins that also includes Nerve Growth Factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF) that have about 50% aa sequence identity. NT 3 was the first member of the family to have its sequence determined by molecular techniques without the need for prior purification of the protein from natural sources. NT 3 shows strong similarities to NGF and BDNF (including strictly conserved domains that contain 6 cysteine residues) but has a different pattern of neuronal specificity and regional expression. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)