The LRP5 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is embedded in the outer membrane of many types of cells. This protein is known as a co-receptor because it works with another receptor protein, frizzled-4 (produced from the FZD4 gene), to transmit chemical signals from outside the cell to the cell’s nucleus. Frizzled-4 and the LRP5 protein participate in the Wnt signaling pathway, a series of steps that affect the way cells and tissues develop. Wnt signaling is important for cell division (proliferation), attachment of cells to one another (adhesion), cell movement (migration), and many other cellular activities.
The LRP5 protein plays an important role in the development and maintenance of several tissues. During early development, it helps guide the specialization of cells in the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. The LRP5 protein is also involved in forming blood vessels in the retina and in the inner ear. Additionally, this protein helps regulate bone mineral density, which is a measure of the amount of calcium and other minerals in bones. The minerals give the bones strength, making them less likely to break.
Other Names
BMND1; EVR1; EVR4; HBM; low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5; low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 7; LR3; LRP5_HUMAN; LRP7; OPS; OPTA1; VBCH2
Related Genetics Topics
- Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Anophthalmia/Microphthalmia — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome — MedlinePlus Genetics
- Juvenile primary osteoporosis — MedlinePlus Genetics
Identifiers
- NCBI Gene: 4041
- OMIM: 603506
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
