Anna Bafico coauthored a mechanistic classification of growth factors and their receptors. The account treats a growth-factor family as a collection of related signal molecules with distinguishable receptor interactions, rather than as a single interchangeable stimulus.[ref]
Classification of Growth Factors and Their Receptors by Anna Bafico and Stuart A. Aaronson. 2003, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Family and Fibroblast Growth Factor Family
For example, related growth-factor chains can assemble into different dimers. Their receptor recognition and target-cell context help determine the biological response. This provides a useful bridge between protein structure, signal transduction and the regulation of cell proliferation.
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