This gene encodes a cytoplasmic protein that contains epidermal growth factor (EGF) -like repeats. The encoded heterotrimeric protein may be involved in cell growth regulation and differentiation. A similar protein in rodents is involved in craniosynostosis. An alternative splice variant has been described but its full length sequence has not been determined.[5]
Watanabe TK, Katagiri T, Suzuki M, et al. (1997). "Cloning and characterization of two novel human cDNAs (NELL1 and NELL2) encoding proteins with six EGF-like repeats". Genomics. 38 (3): 273–6. doi:10.1006/geno.1996.0628. PMID8975702.
Beckmann G, Hanke J, Bork P, Reich JG (1998). "Merging extracellular domains: fold prediction for laminin G-like and amino-terminal thrombospondin-like modules based on homology to pentraxins". J. Mol. Biol. 275 (5): 725–30. doi:10.1006/jmbi.1997.1510. PMID9480764.
Luce MJ, Burrows PD (1999). "The neuronal EGF-related genes NELL1 and NELL2 are expressed in hemopoietic cells and developmentally regulated in the B lineage". Gene. 231 (1–2): 121–6. doi:10.1016/S0378-1119(99)00093-1. PMID10231576.
Kuroda S, Oyasu M, Kawakami M, et al. (1999). "Biochemical characterization and expression analysis of neural thrombospondin-1-like proteins NELL1 and NELL2". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 265 (1): 79–86. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1999.1638. PMID10548494.