Ephrin receptors and their ligands, the ephrins, mediate numerous developmental processes, particularly in the nervous system. Based on their structures and sequence relationships, ephrins are divided into the ephrin-A (EFNA) class, which are anchored to the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage, and the ephrin-B (EFNB) class, which are transmembrane proteins. The Eph family of receptors are divided into 2 groups based on the similarity of their extracellular domain sequences and their affinities for binding ephrin-A and ephrin-B ligands. Ephrin receptors make up the largest subgroup of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. EphB3, a member of the Tyr family of protein kinases, is a receptor for members of the ephrin-B family, it binds to both ephrin-B1 and -B2. Expression of this Type I membrane protein is ubiquitous. The protein contains putative domains for 2 fibronectin type III and 1 sterile alpha motif (SAM).