ADAM19
ADAM19, known as meltrin beta, is a catalytically active sheddase with a decisive role in cardiovascular morphogenesis. It processes neuregulin-family ligands, and Adam19 knockout mice die perinatally with defects in endocardial cushion and cardiac valve development, phenotypes tied to impaired neuregulin-ErbB signaling. Expression is prominent in heart, skeletal muscle and lung, consistent with its meltrin designation, and the enzyme has additionally been linked to dendritic development in the nervous system. ADAM19 thus provides a key experimental entry point for studying morphogenesis that depends on regulated growth-factor shedding. The enzyme is synthesized with a furin-recognition motif and is activated by prodomain removal in the secretory pathway, a feature shared with most active membrane sheddases.
