What is "nestin"

n. (context biology English) A type VI intermediate filament (IF) protein, expressed mostly in nerve cells where it is implicated in the radial growth of the axon.

Nestin may refer to:

• Neštin, a village in Srem, Vojvodina, Serbia.
• Nestin (protein), a type VI intermediate filament (IF) protein.

Neštin is a village located in the Bačka Palanka municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia, although it is not geographically located in Bačka, but in Syrmia. The village is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The population of Neštin numbering 900 people (2002 census), of whom 689 are ethnic Serbs. Vine produced in Neštin is famous.

Situated across the Danube from the municipality centre, Neštin is a practical exclave, as the shortest road (9 km) linking it with Bačka Palanka (across the Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge) leads halfway through the territory of Croatia, and includes two border crossings. Tightened border regime due to Croatia's accession to the European Union in 2013 caused inconvenience for daily commuting of pupils and workers. Agriculture producers of Neštin were hit in particular, because transport of goods through Croatia was not permitted anymore without extensive paperwork.

Nestin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NES gene.

Nestin (acronym for neuroectodermal stem cell marker) is a type VI intermediate filament (IF) protein. These intermediate filament proteins are expressed mostly in nerve cells where they are implicated in the radial growth of the axon. Seven genes encode for the heavy (NF-H), medium (NF-M) and light neurofilament (NF-L) proteins, nestin and α-internexin in nerve cells, synemin α and desmuslin/synemin β (two alternative transcripts of the DMN gene) in muscle cells, and syncoilin (also in muscle cells). Members of this group mostly preferentially coassemble as heteropolymers in tissues. Steinert et al. has shown that nestin forms homodimers and homotetramers but does not form IF by itself in vitro. In mixtures, nestin preferentially co-assembles with purified vimentin or the type IV IF protein -internexin to form heterodimer coiled-coil molecules.