Affinage

NF1

Neurofibromin · UniProt P21359

Length
2839 aa
Mass
319.4 kDa
Annotated
2026-04-29
100 papers in source corpus 28 papers cited in narrative 28 extracted findings

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

Neurofibromin (NF1) is a RAS GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP) that serves as a tumor suppressor and critical regulator of RAS-dependent signaling in diverse cell types, controlling proliferation, differentiation, myelination, neuronal excitability, and metabolism. Its GAP-related domain accelerates GTP hydrolysis on RAS, and catalytic inactivation abolishes its growth-suppressive function; loss of NF1 leads to constitutive activation of RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling, with mTOR-driven cyclin D1 expression as a key proliferative effector (PMID:11080503, PMID:15937108, PMID:18164202). NF1 also operates through RAS-independent mechanisms: it functions in a PKA-dependent growth-control pathway in Drosophila, interacts with CRMP2 to regulate voltage-gated calcium channels and nociception, and suppresses Notch-mediated myelin decompaction in oligodendrocytes (PMID:9115203, PMID:29655575, PMID:28423318). Biallelic NF1 loss in Schwann cells or neural crest-derived precursors initiates neurofibroma formation, but full tumorigenesis additionally requires NF1 haploinsufficiency in the tumor microenvironment—particularly in mast cells and hematopoietic cells signaling through c-Kit—and in optic glioma, neuronal activity-dependent NLGN3 shedding is an obligate glioma-promoting signal downstream of NF1 mutation (PMID:11988578, PMID:18984156, PMID:34040258).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 14 steps
  1. 1993 High

    Early work established that full-length neurofibromin shares RAS-suppressive activity with p120GAP yet exerts distinct biological effects, resolving the question of whether NF1 was merely a redundant GAP or had unique cellular functions.

    Evidence Microinjection of purified NF1 and p120GAP into fibroblasts with AP-1 reporter and DNA synthesis readouts

    PMID:8455625

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular basis for distinct biological effects vs. p120GAP not identified
    • Downstream Ras effector pathways not dissected
  2. 1997 High

    Two parallel findings revealed that NF1's GAP catalytic residues are essential for RAS inactivation and that NF1 additionally controls growth through a RAS-independent PKA pathway in Drosophila, demonstrating dual signaling outputs.

    Evidence In vitro GAP assay with R1391S mutant (300-fold reduced activity); Drosophila NF1 null mutant size rescue by activated PKA but not by Ras manipulation

    PMID:9003501 PMID:9115203

    Open questions at the time
    • PKA pathway mechanism not defined at molecular level
    • Whether the PKA axis operates in mammalian cells unknown
  3. 2000 High

    Reconstitution experiments in Nf1-null primary cells proved that NF1's GAP activity on p21-Ras is both necessary and sufficient for growth normalization across multiple cell lineages, establishing that RasGAP activity is the core tumor-suppressive mechanism.

    Evidence Expression of wild-type and GAP-inactive NF1 GRD in Nf1−/− primary cells from three lineages; growth and cytokine signaling rescue

    PMID:11080503

    Open questions at the time
    • Contribution of non-GRD domains to full-length NF1 function not tested
    • Whether other Ras family GTPases are substrates not addressed
  4. 2001 High

    NF1 was placed upstream of cAMP/cyclin D1 in Schwann cells and shown to regulate actin cytoskeleton and cell motility in astrocytes through both Ras-dependent and Ras-independent mechanisms, broadening the scope of NF1-regulated processes beyond proliferation.

    Evidence Ectopic cyclin D1 expression bypasses cAMP requirement in Schwann cells; motility/attachment assays in Nf1+/− astrocytes vs. constitutive Ras

    PMID:11160381 PMID:11751683

    Open questions at the time
    • Ras-independent attachment mechanism not molecularly identified
    • cAMP regulation by NF1 not directly linked to RasGAP activity
  5. 2002 High

    Conditional genetics revealed that biallelic NF1 loss in Schwann cells initiates neurofibromas but full tumorigenesis requires NF1 haploinsufficiency in the non-neoplastic microenvironment, establishing a two-compartment tumor model.

    Evidence Cre/lox lineage-specific Nf1 deletion in mice with histopathological tumor analysis

    PMID:11988578

    Open questions at the time
    • Identity of the critical microenvironment cell type(s) not determined at this stage
    • Molecular signals from microenvironment not identified
  6. 2005 High

    Discovery that NF1 loss constitutively activates mTOR via RAS→PI3K→AKT→TSC2 phosphorylation expanded the NF1-regulated signaling network beyond ERK and identified rapamycin sensitivity as a therapeutic vulnerability.

    Evidence Phosphorylation assays in NF1-deficient primary cells and human tumors; rapamycin sensitivity experiments; genetic reconstitution

    PMID:15937108

    Open questions at the time
    • Relative contributions of ERK vs. mTOR to different NF1-associated tumor types not resolved
    • Whether mTOR activation requires PI3K or direct RAS-PI3K coupling not fully dissected
  7. 2008 High

    The critical microenvironment compartment was identified as Nf1-haploinsufficient bone marrow-derived/mast cells signaling through c-Kit, resolving which non-neoplastic cells enable neurofibroma progression.

    Evidence Reciprocal bone marrow transplantation; genetic and pharmacological c-Kit attenuation in Nf1+/− hematopoietic cells

    PMID:18984156

    Open questions at the time
    • Downstream c-Kit effectors in mast cells not fully elucidated
    • Whether other immune cell types contribute independently not excluded
  8. 2009 High

    Two advances refined NF1 inactivation mechanisms: skin-derived precursor cells were identified as the dermal neurofibroma cell-of-origin, and PKC-driven proteasomal degradation was shown to functionally inactivate NF1 protein in sporadic gliomas without genetic loss.

    Evidence Conditional Nf1 deletion in SKPs with lineage tracing; proteasome/PKC inhibitor experiments in glioma cells

    PMID:19427294 PMID:19573811

    Open questions at the time
    • PKC-mediated NF1 degradation not structurally characterized
    • Whether PKC-mediated degradation operates in non-glioma tumors unknown
  9. 2012 High

    NF1 mutations were shown to cooperate with BRAF to bypass oncogene-induced senescence in melanoma by deregulating both PI3K and ERK pathways, explaining BRAF inhibitor resistance and rationalizing combined MEK/mTOR inhibition.

    Evidence Genetically engineered mouse melanoma model; senescence assays; BRAF inhibitor resistance and MEK+mTOR combination sensitivity

    PMID:23171796

    Open questions at the time
    • Whether NF1 loss universally predicts BRAF inhibitor resistance in patients not established
    • Contribution of PI3K vs. ERK to senescence bypass not fully separated
  10. 2014 High

    Multiple studies established that NF1-regulated RAS/MAPK signaling controls erlotinib resistance in lung cancer (rescued by MEK inhibition), drives mTOR crosstalk via MAF/DEPTOR in MPNSTs, and governs amygdala neurotransmission and social behavior through PAK1.

    Evidence Genome-wide siRNA screen in lung cancer; MAF re-expression in MPNST cells; Nf1+/−;Pak1−/− double-mutant rescue with LTP and behavioral assays

    PMID:24509877 PMID:24535670 PMID:25242307

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism of MAF-driven DEPTOR regulation not fully resolved
    • PAK1 substrates mediating the behavioral phenotype not identified
  11. 2017 High

    Oligodendrocyte-specific NF1 loss was shown to cause progressive myelin decompaction via MAPK→Notch→nitric oxide signaling, establishing a non-tumor neurological mechanism and identifying gamma secretase inhibition as a therapeutic strategy.

    Evidence Oligodendrocyte-conditional Nf1 knockout mice; myelin ultrastructure; pharmacological rescue with gamma secretase, MEK, and NO inhibitors; human NF1 patient white matter analysis

    PMID:28423318

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct target of Notch in myelin maintenance not identified
    • Whether myelination defects contribute to NF1 cognitive impairment not formally tested
  12. 2018 Medium

    NF1 was shown to interact with CRMP2, and loss of this interaction derepresses CaV2.2 calcium channels and NaV1.7 sodium channels via CRMP2-syntaxin 1A complexes, providing a molecular mechanism for NF1-associated pain; separately, SHP2 was identified as a critical upstream activator of SOS1-mediated RAS-GTP loading in NF1-loss cancers.

    Evidence Co-IP of CRMP2/NF1/syntaxin 1A/CaV2.2 in CRISPR-edited Nf1 rats; CNRP1 peptide rescue of pain behavior; allosteric SHP2 inhibitor in NF1-deficient cancer models

    PMID:29655575 PMID:30104724

    Open questions at the time
    • CRMP2 interaction interface on neurofibromin not structurally defined
    • Whether SHP2 inhibition is effective in NF1-associated benign tumors not tested
  13. 2019 High

    Biophysical characterization revealed that full-length neurofibromin forms a high-affinity homodimer whose architecture was visualized by negative-stain EM, and reconstituted dimers recapitulate GAP activity, establishing dimerization as integral to function.

    Evidence SEC-MALS, SAXS/SANS, analytical ultracentrifugation, negative-stain EM, in vitro GAP assay, co-expression in human cells

    PMID:31836666

    Open questions at the time
    • High-resolution dimer interface structure not solved
    • Whether disease mutations disrupt dimerization specifically not systematically tested
  14. 2021 High

    Neuronal activity-dependent NLGN3 shedding was identified as an obligate paracrine signal for NF1-driven optic glioma initiation and progression, revealing that NF1-mutant neurons aberrantly increase NLGN3 release to create a glioma-permissive microenvironment.

    Evidence NF1 optic glioma GEM model; light deprivation; genetic Nlgn3 knockout epistasis; pharmacological NLGN3 shedding inhibition

    PMID:34040258

    Open questions at the time
    • NLGN3 receptor and downstream signaling in glioma progenitors not fully defined
    • Whether NLGN3 mechanism extends to non-optic NF1-associated gliomas not established

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • Key unresolved questions include the high-resolution structure of the neurofibromin dimer, the molecular basis of RAS-independent NF1 functions (PKA pathway, CRMP2 regulation) in mammalian tissues, and whether therapeutic targeting of the microenvironment (c-Kit, NLGN3) can prevent tumor initiation in patients.
  • No high-resolution full-length neurofibromin structure
  • PKA-dependent NF1 pathway not confirmed in mammalian systems
  • Clinical translation of microenvironment-targeting strategies not validated

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0098772 molecular function regulator activity 5
Localization
GO:0005829 cytosol 2 GO:0005856 cytoskeleton 2
Pathway
R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 6 R-HSA-1643685 Disease 6 R-HSA-112316 Neuronal System 4
Partners
CRMP2HRASKRASNLGN3NRASPAK1SHP2

Evidence

Reading pass · 28 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1997 Drosophila NF1 loss-of-function results in a size reduction phenotype that is not modified by manipulating Ras1 signaling but is rescued by expression of activated PKA, placing NF1 in a pathway with PKA that controls overall growth independently of Ras in this context. Genetic epistasis in Drosophila null mutants; rescue by activated PKA transgene expression Science High 9115203
1993 Full-length NF1 (type I) and p120GAP share the ability to suppress Ras-induced AP-1 reporter activation when microinjected into fibroblasts, but NF1 does not inhibit serum-stimulated DNA synthesis while type I GAP does, demonstrating that NF1 and GAP have overlapping yet distinct in vivo biological activities toward Ras. Microinjection of purified proteins into fibroblasts; AP-1 reporter assay; DNA synthesis assay Molecular and Cellular Biology High 8455625
2000 The GTPase-activating (GAP) domain of neurofibromin, but not that of p120GAP, restores normal growth and cytokine signaling in three lineages of Nf1-deficient primary cells; a GAP-inactive NF1 GRD mutant fails to rescue, demonstrating that growth restoration requires NF1 GRD GAP activity on p21-Ras. In vitro expression of GRDs in primary Nf1-/- cells; GAP-inactive mutant (NF1 GRD identified in NF1 family); cell growth and cytokine signaling assays; in vivo reconstitution Journal of Biological Chemistry High 11080503
1997 Missense mutation R1391S in the NF1 GAP-related domain was found to be ~300-fold less active than wild-type NF1 GRD in an in vitro GAP activity assay, establishing catalytic importance of this residue. Site-directed mutagenesis of NF1 GRD; in vitro GAP activity assay Human Genetics High 9003501
2005 Neurofibromin regulates the mTOR pathway via Ras and PI3K, which phosphorylates and inactivates TSC2/tuberin via AKT; loss of NF1 leads to constitutive mTOR activation in primary cells and human tumors, and NF1-deficient tumor cells are sensitive to rapamycin. Biochemical pathway analysis in NF1-deficient primary cells and human tumor lines; phosphorylation assays for TSC2 by AKT; rapamycin sensitivity assays; genetic reconstitution experiments PNAS High 15937108
2002 Loss of NF1 specifically in the Schwann cell lineage (using conditional Cre/lox) is sufficient to initiate neurofibromas, but complete tumorigenicity additionally requires NF1 haploinsufficiency in the non-neoplastic tumor microenvironment cells. Conditional (Cre/lox) mouse genetics; lineage-specific NF1 deletion; tumor histopathology Science High 11988578
2009 NF1 protein is destabilized in sporadic gliomas via excessive proteasomal degradation triggered by hyperactivation of protein kinase C (PKC), and PKC inhibitors restore sensitivity; complete genetic loss of NF1 (when p53 is also inactivated) instead confers sensitivity to mTOR inhibitors. Proteasome inhibitor experiments; PKC inhibitor rescue; genetic analysis of NF1 loss in tumor samples; mTOR inhibitor sensitivity assays Cancer Cell High 19573811
2008 Nf1 heterozygosity in bone marrow-derived cells (including mast cells) within the tumor microenvironment is sufficient to allow neurofibroma progression in the context of Schwann cell Nf1 deficiency; genetic or pharmacological attenuation of c-kit signaling in Nf1+/- hematopoietic cells diminishes neurofibroma initiation. Bone marrow transplantation into Nf1-deficient mice; genetic c-kit attenuation; pharmacological c-kit inhibition; tumor histopathology Cell High 18984156
2001 Nf1 tumor suppressor antagonizes cAMP accumulation and cyclin D1 expression in Schwann cells; the G1-phase requirement for cAMP in Schwann cell proliferation can be fulfilled by ectopic cyclin D1 expression, placing NF1's antimitotic function upstream of cyclin D1. Inducible retroviral ectopic expression of cyclin D1 in Schwann cells; cAMP assays; cell cycle analysis; Nf1 loss-of-function experiments Journal of Neuroscience High 11160381
2019 Full-length neurofibromin forms a high-affinity dimer in vitro and in human cells; reconstituted dimers from N- and C-terminal fragments are capable of GTPase activation in vitro and recapitulate full-length neurofibromin activity in human cells; negative-stain EM reveals overall dimer architecture. SEC-MALS, small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation, negative-stain EM, in vitro GTPase assay, co-expression in human cells Journal of Biological Chemistry High 31836666
2014 Loss of neurofibromin (NF1) allows sustained RAS-ERK signaling that escapes EGFR inhibitor-mediated suppression; MEK inhibitor treatment restores erlotinib sensitivity in neurofibromin-deficient lung cancer cells. Genome-wide siRNA screen; Western blot of RAS-ERK signaling; MEK inhibitor rescue; murine EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma models Cancer Discovery High 24535670
2018 SHP2 phosphatase is required for oncogenic RAS-GTP loading via SOS1 in NF1-loss cancers; allosteric SHP2 inhibition decreases RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling and cancer growth in NF1-deficient models by disrupting SOS1-mediated RAS-GTP loading. Small-molecule allosteric inhibitor (RMC-4550) in human cancer models; RAS-GTP loading assays; SOS1 interaction studies; cell growth assays Nature Cell Biology High 30104724
2009 Skin-derived precursor stem cells (SKPs) in the dermis serve as the cell of origin of dermal neurofibromas upon Nf1 loss; additional signals from non-neoplastic cells in the tumor microenvironment are required for neurofibromagenesis. Conditional Nf1 deletion in SKPs; lineage tracing; tumor histopathology; microenvironment co-culture experiments Cell Stem Cell High 19427294
2001 Nf1 heterozygosity in astrocytes causes decreased cell attachment, actin cytoskeletal abnormalities during spreading, and increased cell motility in a Ras-dependent manner; constitutively active Ras phenocopies the motility and cytoskeletal defects but not the attachment defect, placing Nf1's function in actin/attachment regulation partly through Ras and partly through a Ras-independent mechanism. Cell attachment assays, actin cytoskeleton imaging, motility assays in Nf1+/- and Nf1-/- primary astrocytes and cells expressing constitutively active Ras Human Molecular Genetics Medium 11751683
2007 TORC1/mTOR activity is essential for NF1-associated malignancy growth in vivo; rapamycin suppresses NF1-deficient tumors by suppressing cyclin D1 rather than HIF-1α or indirect AKT suppression, identifying cyclin D1 as the critical mTOR target in this context. Rapamycin treatment in genetically engineered murine NF1 tumor model; biochemical analysis of HIF-1α, AKT, and cyclin D1 Current Biology High 18164202
2012 NF1 mutations cooperate with BRAF mutations to promote melanoma by suppressing oncogene-induced senescence (OIS); Nf1 mutations deregulate both PI3K and ERK pathways, causing resistance to BRAF inhibitors but sensitivity to combined MEK and mTOR inhibition. Genetically engineered mouse model; BrdU incorporation/senescence assays; pathway inhibitor sensitivity experiments; human melanoma cell lines Cancer Discovery High 23171796
2014 NF1 regulates a MAF transcription factor downstream of RAS/MAPK/AP-1 signaling; chronic MAF overexpression enhances mTOR signaling via DEPTOR, creating a crosstalk between MAPK and mTOR pathways that limits efficacy of MAPK inhibition alone in NF1-deficient MPNSTs. Transcriptome analysis; gene expression in MPNST cell lines; MAF re-expression experiments; RAD001 (mTOR inhibitor) rescue; in vivo tumor growth Oncogene Medium 24509877
2014 Nf1 heterozygous mice show aberrant amygdala glutamate and GABA neurotransmission, deficits in LTP, and altered expression of ADAM22 and HSP70; all these disruptions, including a social learning deficit, are normalized by deletion or pharmacological blockade of PAK1 in the amygdala, placing NF1-regulated Ras/MAPK signaling upstream of PAK1 in social behavior circuits. Nf1+/- mice; electrophysiological LTP assays; neurotransmitter assays; PAK1 genetic deletion (double-mutant rescue); pharmacological PAK1 inhibition in vivo; behavioral assays Nature Neuroscience High 25242307
2013 Ras-MEK-ERK signaling in Nf1 heterozygous macrophages drives enhanced neointima formation after arterial injury; MEK inhibitor PD0325901 specifically reduces Nf1+/- neointima formation to wild-type levels without altering PI3K signaling. Carotid artery injury model in Nf1+/- mice; MEK inhibitor in vivo treatment; in vitro Erk/PI3K signaling assays in macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells American Journal of Pathology Medium 24211110
2013 Muscle-specific Nf1 knockout causes neonatal lethality with intramyocellular lipid accumulations; limb-specific Nf1 knockout shows 10-fold increased muscle triglyceride content and increased oxidative metabolism enzyme activities, along with increased fatty acid synthase and leptin expression, establishing NF1 as a regulator of mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism in muscle. Muscle-specific and limb-specific conditional Nf1 knockout mice; electron microscopy; Oil Red O staining; enzyme activity assays; Western blot Human Molecular Genetics Medium 24163128
2017 Oligodendrocyte Nf1 loss leads to progressive myelin decompaction mediated by aberrant Notch activation downstream of MAPK; blocking Notch, upstream MAPK, or nitric oxide signaling rescues myelin defects; pharmacological gamma secretase inhibition rescues aberrant behavior in Nf1 hemizygous mice without effects in wild-type. Oligodendrocyte-specific Nf1 conditional mouse genetics; myelin ultrastructure analysis; pharmacological inhibition of Notch (gamma secretase inhibitor), MAPK, and nitric oxide; behavioral assays; NF1 patient white matter analysis Cell Reports High 28423318
2021 Germline Nf1 mutation in retinal neurons leads to aberrantly increased activity-dependent shedding of NLGN3 (neuroligin-3) within the optic nerve; genetic Nlgn3 loss or pharmacological inhibition of NLGN3 shedding blocks formation and progression of Nf1-driven optic gliomas, establishing neuronal activity → NLGN3 shedding → glioma initiation as an obligate mechanistic axis. Authenticated mouse NF1 optic glioma model; light deprivation experiments; genetic Nlgn3 knockout (double-mutant epistasis); pharmacological NLGN3 shedding inhibition; NLGN3 quantification in optic nerve Nature High 34040258
2018 Neurofibromin interacts with CRMP2; upon NF1 loss/mutation, the CRMP2/neurofibromin interaction is disrupted, freeing CRMP2 to interact with syntaxin 1A and CaV2.2 (N-type calcium channel), resulting in increased CGRP release and pain; a CRMP2-derived peptide (CNRP1) targeting this interface reverses dysregulation of NaV1.7 and CaV2.2 and reverses hyperalgesia in Nf1-edited rats. CRISPR/Cas9 Nf1 editing in rats; co-immunoprecipitation of CRMP2/neurofibromin/syntaxin 1A/CaV2.2; CGRP release assay; voltage-gated channel electrophysiology; peptide (CNRP1) rescue; behavioral pain assays Neuroscience Medium 29655575
2016 MNK kinases are activated in NF1-deficient tumors; combined genetic/chemical MNK suppression cooperates with MEK inhibition to kill NF1-deficient cancers through effects on eIF4E phosphorylation; MNK suppression by cabozantinib combined with MEK inhibitor triggers regression in an aggressive GEM tumor model. Primary human tumor kinase activation assays; genetic and pharmacological MNK suppression; MEK inhibitor combination in NF1-deficient murine tumor GEM model; eIF4E phosphorylation assays Journal of Clinical Investigation Medium 27159396
1995 Types 1 and 2 neurofibromin isoforms (differing by the alternatively spliced exon 23a insertion) show distinct tissue and developmental expression patterns; type 2 neurofibromin (with exon 23a) is not associated with brain cytoplasmic microtubules in the same fashion as type 1, suggesting different functional properties for the two isoforms. Northern blot isoform analysis; Western blot; subcellular fractionation (microtubule association); in situ hybridization; neocortical neuron/glia cultures Progress in Brain Research Medium 7568895
2006 CTCF mediates an interchromosomal association between the Igf2/H19 imprinting control region on chromosome 7 and the Wsb1/Nf1 locus on chromosome 11; omission of CTCF or deletion of the maternal ICR abrogates this association and alters Wsb1/Nf1 gene expression. Modified chromosome conformation capture (3C); FISH; CTCF knockdown; maternal ICR deletion mouse model Science Medium 16614224
2016 miR-107 suppresses NF1 expression by binding the 3'-UTR of NF1 mRNA at its first predicted binding site, leading to mRNA instability; reduced NF1 promotes gastric cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay; Western blot; mRNA stability assay; miR-107 inhibitor experiments; functional growth/migration/invasion assays Scientific Reports Medium 27827403
2010 Nf1 haploinsufficiency in hippocampal neurons increases Ca2+ current density, lowers activation threshold, increases glutamate release, and enhances dendritic complexity and axonal length, linking reduced neurofibromin to altered presynaptic voltage-gated Ca2+ channel function and neurotransmitter release. Whole-cell patch clamp of hippocampal neurons from Nf1+/- mice; glutamate release assay from cortical cultures; neuronal morphometry Translational Neuroscience Medium 21949590

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 100 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2002 Neurofibromas in NF1: Schwann cell origin and role of tumor environment. Science (New York, N.Y.) 475 11988578
2005 The NF1 tumor suppressor critically regulates TSC2 and mTOR. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 456 15937108
2006 CTCF mediates interchromosomal colocalization between Igf2/H19 and Wsb1/Nf1. Science (New York, N.Y.) 377 16614224
2018 RAS nucleotide cycling underlies the SHP2 phosphatase dependence of mutant BRAF-, NF1- and RAS-driven cancers. Nature cell biology 335 30104724
2000 NF1 gene and neurofibromatosis 1. American journal of epidemiology 302 10625171
2015 Exome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations in NF1 and RASopathy genes in sun-exposed melanomas. Nature genetics 301 26214590
2008 Nf1-dependent tumors require a microenvironment containing Nf1+/-- and c-kit-dependent bone marrow. Cell 272 18984156
1996 Molecular genetics of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Journal of medical genetics 240 8825042
1997 Rescue of a Drosophila NF1 mutant phenotype by protein kinase A. Science (New York, N.Y.) 204 9115203
2003 Elevated risk for MPNST in NF1 microdeletion patients. American journal of human genetics 202 12660952
2012 Elucidating distinct roles for NF1 in melanomagenesis. Cancer discovery 197 23171796
1995 Genomic organization of the neurofibromatosis 1 gene (NF1). Genomics 184 7774960
2021 NF1 mutation drives neuronal activity-dependent initiation of optic glioma. Nature 177 34040258
2014 Reduced NF1 expression confers resistance to EGFR inhibition in lung cancer. Cancer discovery 173 24535670
2013 Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1): diagnosis and management. Handbook of clinical neurology 158 23931823
2007 TORC1 is essential for NF1-associated malignancies. Current biology : CB 158 18164202
2017 The NF1 gene in tumor syndromes and melanoma. Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology 154 28067895
2014 The NF1 gene revisited - from bench to bedside. Oncotarget 144 25026295
2009 Cell of origin and microenvironment contribution for NF1-associated dermal neurofibromas. Cell stem cell 140 19427294
1996 Identification of NF1 mutations in both alleles of a dermal neurofibroma. Nature genetics 131 8782831
2009 Proteasomal and genetic inactivation of the NF1 tumor suppressor in gliomagenesis. Cancer cell 119 19573811
2002 Plexiform neurofibromas in NF1: toward biologic-based therapy. Neurology 119 12041525
2012 Somatic neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) inactivation characterizes NF1-associated pilocytic astrocytoma. Genome research 108 23222849
2014 Social learning and amygdala disruptions in Nf1 mice are rescued by blocking p21-activated kinase. Nature neuroscience 107 25242307
2017 NF1-mutated melanoma tumors harbor distinct clinical and biological characteristics. Molecular oncology 102 28267273
1997 Do NF1 gene deletions result in a characteristic phenotype? American journal of medical genetics 100 9375928
2002 Genetics of neurofibromatosis 1 and the NF1 gene. Journal of child neurology 99 12403554
2008 How does the Schwann cell lineage form tumors in NF1? Glia 97 18803326
2000 Neurofibromin GTPase-activating protein-related domains restore normal growth in Nf1-/- cells. The Journal of biological chemistry 97 11080503
2001 Schwann cell proliferative responses to cAMP and Nf1 are mediated by cyclin D1. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 93 11160381
2012 Integrative genomics reveals frequent somatic NF1 mutations in sporadic pheochromocytomas. Human molecular genetics 90 23010473
2010 Molecular and cellular mechanisms of learning disabilities: a focus on NF1. Annual review of neuroscience 85 20345245
1997 Mutational and functional analysis of the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene. Human genetics 83 9003501
2016 Immortalization of human normal and NF1 neurofibroma Schwann cells. Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology 82 27617404
2012 Neoplasms associated with germline and somatic NF1 gene mutations. The oncologist 80 22240541
2011 The NF1 gene contains hotspots for L1 endonuclease-dependent de novo insertion. PLoS genetics 79 22125493
1995 Ras signaling and NF1. Current opinion in genetics & development 76 7749326
1995 Expression of the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) isoforms in developing and adult rat tissues. Cell growth & differentiation : the molecular biology journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 76 7794799
1999 Allelic loss of the NF1 gene in NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas. Cancer genetics and cytogenetics 72 10459349
1998 Constitutional and mosaic large NF1 gene deletions in neurofibromatosis type 1. Journal of medical genetics 72 9643287
2016 Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of NF1-Mutant Lung Cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 69 26861459
2016 NF1 germline mutation differentially dictates optic glioma formation and growth in neurofibromatosis-1. Human molecular genetics 67 26908603
2016 Comprehensive RNA Analysis of the NF1 Gene in Classically Affected NF1 Affected Individuals Meeting NIH Criteria has High Sensitivity and Mutation Negative Testing is Reassuring in Isolated Cases With Pigmentary Features Only. EBioMedicine 62 27322474
1992 Analysis of mutations at the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) locus. Human molecular genetics 62 1302608
2011 Perinatal or adult Nf1 inactivation using tamoxifen-inducible PlpCre each cause neurofibroma formation. Cancer research 57 21551249
2007 Recent insights into bone development, homeostasis, and repair in type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1). Bone 57 18248783
2021 Challenges in the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) in young children facilitated by means of revised diagnostic criteria including genetic testing for pathogenic NF1 gene variants. Human genetics 55 34928431
2016 Binimetinib inhibits MEK and is effective against neuroblastoma tumor cells with low NF1 expression. BMC cancer 54 26925841
2018 NF1 deficiency correlates with estrogen receptor signaling and diminished survival in breast cancer. NPJ breast cancer 53 30182054
2009 The spectrum of somatic and germline NF1 mutations in NF1 patients with spinal neurofibromas. Neurogenetics 51 19221814
2008 RAS signaling in colorectal carcinomas through alteration of RAS, RAF, NF1, and/or RASSF1A. Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) 51 18592002
2016 miR-107 regulates tumor progression by targeting NF1 in gastric cancer. Scientific reports 50 27827403
2000 A search for evidence of somatic mutations in the NF1 gene. Journal of medical genetics 48 10633134
2004 Ras/Raf/ERK signalling and NF1. Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) 46 15467460
2008 Germline and somatic NF1 gene mutations in plexiform neurofibromas. Human mutation 45 18484666
2008 The role of steroid hormones in the NF1 phenotype: focus on pregnancy. American journal of medical genetics. Part A 43 18481270
2006 Somatic loss of wild type NF1 allele in neurofibromas: Comparison of NF1 microdeletion and non-microdeletion patients. Genes, chromosomes & cancer 43 16830335
2001 Heterozygosity for the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) tumor suppressor results in abnormalities in cell attachment, spreading and motility in astrocytes. Human molecular genetics 43 11751683
1997 RNA processing and clinical variability in neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). Human molecular genetics 42 9300663
2019 Phenotype categorization of neurofibromatosis type I and correlation to NF1 mutation types. Journal of human genetics 41 31776437
1992 NF1-related locus on chromosome 15. Genomics 41 1505963
2013 NF1 is a critical regulator of muscle development and metabolism. Human molecular genetics 40 24163128
2019 Biochemical and structural analyses reveal that the tumor suppressor neurofibromin (NF1) forms a high-affinity dimer. The Journal of biological chemistry 39 31836666
2017 Oligodendrocyte Nf1 Controls Aberrant Notch Activation and Regulates Myelin Structure and Behavior. Cell reports 39 28423318
2006 Comprehensive mutation scanning of NF1 in apparently sporadic cases of pheochromocytoma. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 38 16787982
2014 Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and associated tumors. Klinische Padiatrie 37 25062113
2016 GABA deficiency in NF1: A multimodal [11C]-flumazenil and spectroscopy study. Neurology 36 27473134
1989 Progress towards identifying the neurofibromatosis (NF1) gene. Trends in genetics : TIG 36 2506682
2016 Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene: Beyond café au lait spots and dermal neurofibromas. Experimental dermatology 35 27622733
1998 The OMgp gene, a second growth suppressor within the NF1 gene. Oncogene 34 9569019
2020 Can the Cognitive Phenotype in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) Be Explained by Neuroimaging? A Review. Frontiers in neurology 33 31993017
2014 MAF mediates crosstalk between Ras-MAPK and mTOR signaling in NF1. Oncogene 33 24509877
2009 Neurofibroma development in NF1--insights into tumour initiation. Trends in cell biology 33 19615906
2018 Phenotypic expression of a spectrum of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) mutations identified through NGS and MLPA. Journal of the neurological sciences 32 30308447
2017 The cell of origin dictates the temporal course of neurofibromatosis-1 (Nf1) low-grade glioma formation. Oncotarget 32 28525381
2016 Cotargeting MNK and MEK kinases induces the regression of NF1-mutant cancers. The Journal of clinical investigation 32 27159396
1999 Germline mutations in NF1 patients with malignancies. Genes, chromosomes & cancer 31 10534774
1993 Differential regulation of cellular activities by GTPase-activating protein and NF1. Molecular and cellular biology 31 8455625
2018 CRMP2-Neurofibromin Interface Drives NF1-related Pain. Neuroscience 30 29655575
1993 Evidence of DNA methylation in the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene region of 17q11.2. Human molecular genetics 30 8504305
2021 Severe Phenotype in Patients with Large Deletions of NF1. Cancers 29 34199217
2015 Clinicopathologic implications of NF1 gene alterations in diffuse gliomas. Human pathology 29 26190195
2009 Noonan syndrome and neurofibromatosis type I in a family with a novel mutation in NF1. Clinical genetics 29 19845691
2004 Genomic organization and evolution of the NF1 microdeletion region. Genomics 29 15233998
2021 Classification of NF1 microdeletions and its importance for establishing genotype/phenotype correlations in patients with NF1 microdeletions. Human genetics 28 34535841
2019 The Arg1038Gly missense variant in the NF1 gene causes a mild phenotype without neurofibromas. Molecular genetics & genomic medicine 28 30843352
2021 Impact of MEK Inhibitor Therapy on Neurocognitive Functioning in NF1. Neurology. Genetics 26 34377779
2020 Sporadic and Familial Variants in NF1: An Explanation of the Wide Variability in Neurocognitive Phenotype? Frontiers in neurology 26 32431664
2020 Advancement in research and therapy of NF1 mutant malignant tumors. Cancer cell international 26 33061844
2013 Ras-Mek-Erk signaling regulates Nf1 heterozygous neointima formation. The American journal of pathology 26 24211110
2018 Chromatin regulator Asxl1 loss and Nf1 haploinsufficiency cooperate to accelerate myeloid malignancy. The Journal of clinical investigation 25 30226831
2011 The probable cell of origin of NF1- and PDGF-driven glioblastomas. PloS one 24 21931722
2010 ALTERED CALCIUM CURRENTS AND AXONAL GROWTH IN Nf1 HAPLOINSUFFICIENT MICE. Translational neuroscience 24 21949590
2002 Thinking beyond the tumor cell: Nf1 haploinsufficiency in the tumor environment. Cancer cell 24 12124168
2020 Clinical characterization of children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions. Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery 23 32533297
1990 Genetic and physical map of the von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) region on chromosome 17. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 23 2119504
2021 Non-Oncological Neuroradiological Manifestations in NF1 and Their Clinical Implications. Cancers 22 33921292
2017 Human stem cell modeling in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Experimental neurology 21 28392281
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