{"symbol":"ITGA4","synonyms":["CD49D","IA4"],"name":"integrin, alpha 4 (antigen CD49D, alpha 4 subunit of VLA-4 receptor)","description":"The gene encodes a member of the integrin alpha chain family of proteins. Integrins are heterodimeric integral membrane proteins composed of an alpha chain and a beta chain that function in cell surface adhesion and signaling. The encoded preproprotein is proteolytically processed to generate light and heavy chains that comprise the alpha 4 subunit. This subunit associates with a beta 1 or beta 7 subunit to form an integrin that may play a role in cell motility and migration. This integrin is a therapeutic target for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, Crohn\u0027s disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2015]","ncbiEntrezGeneId":3676,"ncbiEntrezGeneUrl":"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3676","proteins":[{"symbol":"ITA4_HUMAN","href":"/api/1.0/protein/ITA4_HUMAN"}],"hgncRootFamilies":[{"name":"Integrins (ITG)","href":"/api/1.0/gene_family/Integrins+%28ITG%29"},{"name":"CD molecules (CD)","href":"/api/1.0/gene_family/CD+molecules+%28CD%29"}]}