Soluble Tyrosine-Protein Kinase Receptor UFO

**Semantic type:** Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein

**Definition:** Soluble tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO is encoded by the human AXL gene. The full-length tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO is a transmembrane protein and is subjected to ectodomain shedding via the activity of either disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 or 17, which yields a soluble form (sAXL). Although the function of this extracellular protein fragment is not well characterized, sAXL expression appears to correlate with the expression and activity of tyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO. Additionally, serum levels of sAXL may be leveraged as a biomarker that aids in the detection of or prognosis for certain cancers.

**Synonyms:** - Soluble AXL - sAXL