A-FORM OF CYTOPLASMIC DOMAIN OF nARIA (CRD-NEUREGULIN) AND USES THEREOF

摘要

This invention provides an assay for diagnosing whether a subject has or is predisposed to developing a neoplastic disease which comprises: a) obtaining a biological sample from the subject; b) contacting the sample with an agent that detects the presence of an extracellular domain of nARIA (CRD-neuregulin) or an isoform thereof; c) measuring the amount of agent bound by the sample; d) comparing the amount of agent bound measured in step c) with the amount of agent bound by a standard normal sample, a higher amount bound by the sample from the subject being indicative of the subject having or being predisposed to developing a neoplastic disease. One embodiment of this invention is a method for maintaining synaptic connections between a neuron and a target cell comprising contacting the target cell with an nARIA polypeptide or a nucleic acid molecule encoding nARIA in an amount sufficient to induce the formation of a synaptic junction.