TAM receptor signaling refers to signaling through the receptor tyrosine kinases TYRO3, AXL, and MERTK and their canonical ligands GAS6 and PROS1.[1] In the nervous system, TAM signaling helps regulate phagocytosis, inflammatory tone, glial homeostasis, and aspects of neural stem-cell survival and differentiation.[1:1][2]
In CNS disease models, TAM signaling often acts as a brake on excessive innate immune activation while also shaping debris clearance and tissue remodeling.[1:2][3] This makes the pathway relevant to microglia-neuroinflammation, Alzheimer's disease, and broader questions of reparative versus maladaptive glial activation.
An insight into the TAM system in Alzheimer's disease. International Immunopharmacology (2023). ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
TAM receptors support neural stem cell survival, proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Cell Death & Disease (2015). ↩︎
Gas6/TAM Signalling Negatively Regulates Inflammatory Induction of GM-CSF in Mouse Brain Microglia. Cells (2021). ↩︎