Notch Homolog 4 (NOTCH4)

NOTCH4 encodes a member of the Notch family. Members of this Type 1 transmembrane protein family share structural characteristics including an extracellular domain consisting of multiple epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats, and an intracellular domain consisting of multiple, different domain types.This protein is cleaved in the trans-Golgi network, and presented on the cell surface as a heterodimer. This protein functions as a receptor for membrane bound ligands, and may play a role in vascular, renal and hepatic development. This gene may be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia in a small portion of cases. An alternative splice variant has been described but its biological nature has not been determined.