| Modification Notes |
Plexins are a family of large transmembrane receptors for multiple classes of semaphorins. Plexins are widely expressed and may act as semaphorin receptors alone or in combination with neuropilins. Plexins are divided into four subfamilies, plexin-A, -B, -C and -D. Plexin-D1 is expressed strongly in endothelial cells of developing blood vessels and in lower levels in placenta, heart, brain, kidney, testis and lung. Expression is more robust in mouse and human embryonic cells than in adult cells, and the protein is detected in early ganglia, cortex and striatum. The gene PLXND1, which encodes for the protein, localizes to chromosome 3q21.3. A defect in this gene causes the dominantly inherited disorder Möbius syndrome 2 (MBS2) which is characterized by paralysis of the facial nerve. |