Background of the antigen
The UNC5H family of proteins act as transmembrane receptors for netrin-1 and play a crucial role in axon guidance and migration of neural cells. Additionally, when cleaved by a caspase to produce an intracellular fragment containing a death domain,UNC5H receptors induce apoptosis. This activity is blocked by the binding of netrin-1. In the absence of netrin-1, UNC5H receptors act as tumor suppressors by inhibiting anchorage-independent growth and invasion, but mutation of these receptors provides a potential mechanism for tumorigenicity. The expression of UNC5H receptors is downregulated in multiple carcinomas, including colorectal, breast, ovary, uterus, stomach, lung and kidney cancers. UNC5H1, also known as UNC5HA (unc-5 homolog A), is a member of the UNC5H family of proteins and is localized to the cell membrane. Three isoforms of UNC5H1 exist due to alternative splicing events.
