EphB4

EphB4 is the principal receptor for ephrin-B2 and, together with its ligand, establishes the arterial-venous boundary during vascular development: ephrin-B2 marks arteries while EphB4 marks veins, and their reciprocal signaling prevents aberrant vessel fusion. In adults EphB4 sustains lymphatic and bone remodeling functions, and it is re-expressed in many tumors, including prostate, breast and colorectal cancers, where ligand-independent signaling promotes survival, angiogenesis and metastasis, though ligand-dependent activation can instead suppress growth. This context-dependent duality makes EphB4 both a biomarker and a therapeutic target. Recombinant EphB4 proteins are used for ephrin-B2 binding and kinase studies.