Background of the antigen
SLITRK family proteins are integral membrane proteins that have a C-terminal domain that is partially similar to TRK neurotrophin receptor proteins and two leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains that are similar to those of SLIT proteins. SLITRK2 (SLIT and NTRK-like protein 2) is a 845 amino acid single-pass type I membrane protein that contains 14 LRR (leucine-rich) repeats and is expressed in neural tissues, with highest levels found in adult cerebral cortex. Overexpression of SLITRK2 leads to inhibition of unipolar neurites in cultured cells, suggesting that it suppresses neurite outgrowth. Inhibitory activity of SLITRK2 is localized to its C-terminal intracellular domain and without this region the protein induces neurite outgrowth. Variants in the gene encoding SLITRK2 may contribute to the development of bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. There are two isoforms of SLITRK2 that are produced as a result of alternative splicing events.
