Meanings
plural nerve growth factors
- countableuncountablebiochemistrya functional protein complex required for the survival, growth and specialization of certain types of neurons in vertebrates.
Nerve growth factor is the prototypical member of the neurotrophin family.
1999 Landreth, Gary E. Growth Factors. In: Siegel, George J.; et al. Basic Neurochemistry. Philadelphia: Lippincott–Raven Publishers; 1999 [cited 18 December 2009]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=bnchm&part=A1358#A13641 more example
They (trypsin-like serine proteases) are also thought to be involved in the processing or activation of other biologically important proteins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) (3–5).
1983, Philip N. Howles, Douglas P. Dickinson, Laura L. DiCaprio, Mary Woodworth-Gutai, Kenneth W Gross, “Use of a cDNA recombinant for the γ-subunit of mouse nerve growth factor to localize members of this multigene family near the TAM-1 locus on chromosome 7.”, in Nucleic Acids Research, 12, no. 6 26 March 1984: 2791Synonyms: NGF
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna functional protein complex required for the survival, growth and specialization of certain types of neurons in vertebrates.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna protein that is involved in the growth of peripheral nerve cells
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
nerve growth factor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nerve%20growth%20factor
“nerve growth factor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nerve%20growth%20factor. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nerve growth factor,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nerve%20growth%20factor.
Source: nerve growth factor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.