Trk Family Neurotrophin Receptors and p75 Receptor. A Multiple Competing Hypothesis Case in the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) History

In the area of Trk oncogene, this research has revealed the different competing hypotheses made at the time of its discovery. A conflict of interest arose within the group who identified it as the nerve growth factor receptor (NGF). An auxiliary assumption, on the cardinal importance of the low affinity p75 receptor, resulted in that the consistency of the group take patterns of compe-tence. The level of provocation affected the joint effort. An environment reminds the denial that Stehelin was given by Varmus and Bishop, in the race for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Nowadays p75 receptor functions are described as “enigmatic”, and accepted that all the neuro-trophins interact with two types of receptors: the specific to the ligands of the high-affinity Trk family of receptors and the low affinity p75 receptor (with structural similarities to the tumor ne-crosis factor and in liaison with the development of eye optical fiber). Against this background, papers concerning this subject and included in the ISI citation database are analysed, categorizing them through a system of descriptors, according to their original publication date. Complete time vectors are approximated by setting the analysis with a growth model based on Gompertz function