Platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that binds homodimeric and heterodimeric forms of PDGF ligands and regulates cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, chemotaxis, and migration (UniProt: P09619). It plays a critical role in vascular development by promoting pericyte and smooth muscle cell recruitment to endothelial cells, and is essential for normal cardiovascular development and glomerular capillary formation in the kidney. Upon ligand binding, PDGFRB activates multiple downstream signaling cascades including PI3K/AKT, MAPK/ERK, and PLCγ pathways that control actin cytoskeleton rearrangement and membrane dynamics.

Beyond its well-established roles in hematologic malignancies (acute myelogenous leukemia, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia) and developmental disorders, PDGFRB is associated with basal ganglia calcification and other genetic conditions affecting connective tissue and vascular integrity (UniProt: P09619). These associations suggest a broader role in vascular homeostasis and calcification regulation relevant to neurological pathology.

PDGFRB is upregulated in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue, with a mean log2 fold-change of 1.42 in post-mortem AD samples compared to age-matched controls (Chaparral AD proteomics). This elevation, observed across a single subcellular fraction in TMT-labeled proteomics analysis, suggests enhanced PDGF receptor signaling may contribute to vascular dysfunction or pericyte pathology in AD neurodegeneration.