Nerve Growth Factor Receptor (NGFR)/p75 [NGFR5+NTR/912]

NGFR, also known as p75NTR, is a receptor of neurotrophins and involved in survival, differentiation and apoptosis of neuron. It is expressed in neuronal cells in various tissues and tumors with neuronal origin. Recent studies suggested that NGFR is also expressed in melanocytes, myoepithelial cells, basal-like cells, perivascular cells and lymphoid dendritic cells. NGFR is helpful in identification of perineural invasion of malignant skin tumors with a panel of antibodies. It is also a complementary marker to S-100 for identification of desmoplastic melanomas. In addition, NGFR maybe used in identifying myoepithelial or basal-like cell differentiation in breast cancer.