NPTX1 (Neuronal pentraxin-1, NP1) is a member of the neuronal pentraxin gene family, and is similar to the rat NP1, which acts a binding protein for the snake venom toxin taipoxin. During development of the central nervous system, NPTX1 controls neural lineage specification from pluripotent stem cells. Separately, NPTX1 is of interest as a potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma, as it was found that an induced increase in NPTX1 expression inhibited tumor growth and promoted apoptosis. In immunohistochemistry, NPTX1 has secretory positivity in the central nervous system, with pronounced expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. It may also show positivity in the colon and testes. References: The UniProt Consortium. Nucleic Acids Res. 47: D506-515 (2019); Nucleic Acids Res. 2016 Jan 4;44(D1):D733-45, PMID:26553804; Cell Reports. 2014. 6(4):724-736, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.01.026; Biosci Rep. 2019 Jun 28; 39(6): BSR20181662, PMID: 31113871