Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 27, also known as X-linked ectodysplasin-A2 receptor, EDA-A2 receptor, EDA2R, XEDAR and TNFRSF27, is a single-pass type I II membrane protein. TNFRSF27 / EDA2R contains three TNFR-Cys repeats. It is a new member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family that has been shown to be highly expressed in ectodermal derivatives during embryonic development and binds to ectodysplasin-A2 (EDA-A2). TNFRSF27 / EDA2R is a receptor for EDA isoform A2, but not for EDA isoform A1. TNFRSF27 / EDA2R mediates the activation of the NF-kappa-B and JNK pathways. The activation seems to be mediated by binding to TRAF3 and TRAF6. Ectodysplasin, a member of the tumor necrosis factor family, is encoded by the anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia EDA gene. Mutations in EDA give rise to a clinical syndrome characterized by loss of hair, sweat glands, and teeth. EDA-A1 and EDA-A2 are two isoforms of ectodysplasin that differ only by an insertion of two amino acids. This insertion functions to determine receptor binding specificity, such that EDA-A1 binds only the receptor EDAR, whereas EDA-A2 binds only the related, but distinct, X-linked ectodysplasin-A2 receptor (XEDAR).
