Receptor tyrosine kinases

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) regulate cell growth, differentiation, migration, survival, and metabolism. Through lateral oligomerization, these receptors translate biochemical signals, triggering downstream signaling cascades. However, RTK dysregulation has been linked to many neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, diabetes, obesity, and other pathologies. In this chapter, we discuss RTKs family and subfamilies, different types of RTKs signaling activation mechanisms (ligand-induced dimerization and activation of intracellular kinase domains), and biological expression and function in the brain and other tissue. We also discuss the molecular mechanisms of RTK-mediated neurodegeneration focusing on autophagy as one of the pathways involved in protein clearance and organelle degradation through the lysosome, EGFR, IR, and TAM receptors. We overview the recent progress while focusing on RTKS inhibitors used to target receptors from the FGFR, ErbB, VEGFR, Eph, Trk, and IR families in neurological pathology and severe neurodegenerative disorders.