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BDH1 belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase gene family. BDH1 forms a homotetrameric lipid-requiring enzyme of the mitochondrial membrane and has a specific necessity for phosphatidylcholine for optimal enzymatic activity. BDH1 catalyzes the interconversion of acetoacetate and (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate, the 2 main ketone bodies formed during fatty acid catabolism.

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 2DL4, also known as KIR2DL4 is part of the killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) family. KIR proteins with the long cytoplasmic domain transduce inhibitory signals through an immune tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM), whereas KIR proteins which contain the short cytoplasmic domain, lack the ITIM motif and as a substitute associate with the TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein to transduce activating signals. KIR2DL4 stimulates NK cells to produce IFN-gamma and stimulation with IL-2 upregulates cell surface expression on CD56dimcells and leads to the inhibition of the cytolytic NK cell function.

HLH (helix-loop-helix) proteins are a putative transcription factors family. Several HLH proteins take part in growth and development of an extensive range of tissues and species. NHLH1 functions as a DNA-binding protein and has a role in the regulation of cell-type determination in the developing nervous system.

Insulin Receptor (INSR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates the pleiotropic actions of insulin. Binding of insulin to the insulin receptor (INSR) stimulates glucose uptake. Once the precursor signal peptide is removed, the insulin receptor precursor is post-translationally cleaved into 2 chains (alpha and beta) which are covalently linked. Insulin binding initiates phosphorylation of several intracellular substrates, including, insulin receptor substrates (IRS1, 2, 3, 4), SHC, GAB1, CBL and other signaling intermediates. Each of these phosphorylated proteins function as docking proteins for other signaling proteins which contain Src-homology-2 domains (SH2 domain) that specifically recognize different phosphotyrosines residues, including the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3K and SHP2.

RDH12 is a member of the short-chain Dehydrogenases / Reductases (SDR) family. RDH12 is found generally in brain, stomach, eye, skeletal muscle and kidney. RDH12 is a NADPH-dependent retinal reductase whose main activity is toward 9-cis and all-trans-retinol. In addition, RDH12 takes part in the metabolism of short-chain aldehydes but does not display steroid dehydrogenase activity.

Interleukin-1 ra is a member of the interleukin 1 cytokine family. This protein inhibits the activities of interleukin 1, alpha (IL1A) and interleukin 1, beta (IL1B), and modulates a variety of interleukin 1 related immune and inflammatory responses. This gene and five other closely related cytokine genes form a gene cluster spanning approximately 400 kb on chromosome 2. A polymorphism of this gene is reported to be associated with increased risk of osteoporotic fractures and gastric cancer. Four alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been reported.

ECSIT homolog (ECSIT) is a ubiquitously expressed protein which has a vital role as an adaptor protein in the cytosolic signal transduction cascade events triggered by Toll receptor activation. ECSIT promotes proteolytic activation of MAP3K1. ECSIT is also involved in the BMP signaling pathway. ECSIT is essential for normal embryonic development. ECSIT was originally classified as a cytoplasmic protein interacting specifically with TNF receptor associated factor (TRAF)-6 in the TLR pathway. ECSIT gene knockdown results in gravely impaired complex I assembly and disrupted mitochondrial function.

Adiponectin is an adipocyte specific secreted protein that circulates in the plasma. It is induced during adipocyte differentiation and its secretion is stimulated by insulin. Mouse adiponectin shares about 83% amino acid identity with that human. Adiponectin plays a role in various physiological processes such as energy homeostasis and obesity. Adiponectin is reduced in obese humans, and decreased level is associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia.

SAP18 is a component of the histone deacetylase complex which has a significant role in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. SAP18 directly interacts with SIN3 and enhances SIN3-mediated transcriptional repression once bound to the promoter. SAP18 plays an important part in gene-specific recruitment of the HDAC complex by a number of transcription factors including Gli, GAGA, and Bicoid. Histone acetylation is significant in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. Histone acetylation and deacetylation is catalyzed by multisubunit complexes. SAP18 is a component of the histone deacetylase complex, which includes SIN3, SAP30, HDAC1, HDAC2, RbAp46, RbAp48, and other polypeptides. SAP18 is a component of a splicing-dependent multiprotein EJC (exon junction complex) placed at splice junction on mRNAs.

Syntaxin-11 (STX11) belongs to the t-SNARE family. Syntaxin-11 regulates protein transport between late endosomes and the trans-Golgi network. STX11 interacts with the SNARE proteins SNAP-23 and VAMP. STX11 gene mutations are linked with familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

CCL4L1 (C-C motif chemokine 4-like) is a member of to intercrine beta (chemokine CC) family. The CCL4L1 protein is similar to CCL4 which inhibits HIV replication in peripheral blood monocytes which express CCR5.

Galectin-3 mediates with the alpha-3, beta-1 integrin the stimulation by cspg4 of endothelial cells migration. Galectin-3 plays an necessary part during the acquisition of vasculogenic mimicry and angiogenic properties associated with melanoma progression. LGALS3 overexpression is highly expressed in early stages of papillary carcinoma, and its expression intensity declines during tumor progression. Serum levels of LGALS3 are high in patients with thyroid malignancy but there is considerable overlap in serum LGALS3 concentrations between those with benign and malignant nodular thyroid disease. LGLAS3 takes part as an immune regulator to inhibit T-cell immune responses and promote tumor growth, as a result providing a new mechanism for tumor immune tolerance.

Transferrin is the iron-transport protein of vertebrate serum and donates iron to cells through interaction with a specific membrane receptor, CD71. Transferrin appears to be indispensable for most cells growing in tissue culture.
It is referred to frequently as a growth factor because, in analogy to other growth factor-receptor interactions, proliferating cells express high numbers of transferrin receptors, and the binding of transferrin to their receptors is needed for cells to initiate and maintain their DNA synthesis. Apart from its role as an iron transport protein transferrin acts as a cytokine and has functions that may not be related to its iron-carrying capacity.

Leptin is a protein hormone with important effects in regulating body weight, metabolism and reproductive function. The protein is approximately~16 kDa in mass and encoded by the obese (ob)gene. leptin is expressed predominantly by adipocytes, which fits with the idea that body weight is sensed as the total mass of fat in the body. Smaller amounts of leptin are also secreted by cellsin the epithelium of the stomach and in the placenta. Leptin receptors are highly expressed in areas of the hypothalamus known to be important in regulating body weight, as well as in T lymphocytes and vascular endothelial cells.

Vimentin expression in human malignant glioma cells depends on cellular density, algorithms of drug delivery and chemo/radio treatment. Vimentin and detyrosinated microtubules provide structural support for the extensive microtentacles observed in detached tumor cells and a mechanism to promote successful metastatic spread. Primary colorectal carcinomas display aberrant expression of vimentin, and have activated Notch and TGFbeta signaling pathways. Vimentin is a strong arterial substrate for transglutaminases. Transglutaminase-mediated vimentin dimerization results in a novel unifying pathway by which vasodilatory and remodeling responses may be regulated. Ablation of vimentin expression inhibits migration and invasion of colon and breast cancer cell lines. Vimentin is the main intermediate filament protein in mesenchymal cells and is therefore of value in the differential diagnosis of undifferentiated neoplasms.

MECP2 is the key modificator of eukaryotic genomes and has a crucial part in mammalian development.
Human proteins MECP2, MBD1, MBD2, MBD3, and MBD4 form a family of nuclear proteins linked by the existence in each of a methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD). Each one of these proteins, with the exception of MBD3, can bind specifically to methylated DNA. In addition, MECP2, MBD1 and MBD2 can inhibit transcription from methylated gene promoters. Unlike other MBD family members, MECP2 is X-linked and subject to X inactivation. MECP2 is expendable in stem cells, but is vital for embryonic development. MECP2 gene mutations are the cause of most cases of Rett syndrome, a progressive neurologic developmental disorder and one of the most common reasons of mental retardation in females.

HCV is a small 50nm, enveloped, single-stranded, positive sense RNA virus in the family Flaviviridae. HCV has a high rate of replication with approximately one trillion particles produced each day in an infected individual. Due to lack of proofreading by the HCV RNA polymerase, the HCV has an exceptionally high mutation rate, a factor that may help it elude the host''s immune response. Hepatitis C virus is classified into six genotypes (1-6) with several subtypes within each genotype. The preponderance and distribution of HCV genotypes varies globally. Genotype is clinically important in determining potential response to interferon-based therapy and the required duration of such therapy. Genotypes 1 and 4 are less responsive to interferon-based treatment than are the other genotypes (2, 3, 5 and 6).

CNTF is a polypeptide hormone whose actions appear to be restricted to the nervous system where it promotes neurotransmitter synthesis and neurite outgrowth in certain neuronal populations. The protein is a potent survival factor for neurons and oligodendrocytes and may be relevant in reducing tissue destruction during inflammatory attacks. A mutation in this gene, which results in aberrant splicing, leads to ciliary neurotrophic factor deficiency, but this phenotype is not causally related to neurologic disease. In addition to the predominant monocistronic transcript originating from this locus, the gene is also co-transcribed with the upstream ZFP91 gene. Co-transcription from the two loci results in a transcript that contains a complete coding region for the zinc finger protein but lacks a complete coding region for ciliary neurotrophic factor.
CNTF is a survival factor for various neuronal cell types. Seems to prevent the degeneration of motor axons after axotomy.

GST family of enzymes comprises a long list of cytosolic, mitochondrial, and microsomal proteins that are 45-55 kDa (dimer form) size and are capable of multiple reactions with a multitude of substrates, both endogenous and xenobiotic. GST catalyses the conjugation of reduced glutathione meaning the sulfhydryl group, to electrophilic centers on a wide variety of substrates. This activity is useful in the detoxification of endogenous compounds such as peroxidised lipids, as well as the metabolism of xenobiotics. GST binds toxins and function as transport protein. Glutathione S-transferase is used to create the so-called 'GST gene fusion system'. The GST is used to purify and detect proteins of interest. In a GST gene fusion system, the GST sequence is incorporated into an expression vector alongside the gene sequence encoding the protein of interest. Induction of protein expression from the vector's multiple cloning sites results in expression of a fusion protein - the protein of interest fused to the GST protein. This GST-fusion protein can then be purified from cells via its high affinity for glutathione. Fusion proteins offer an important biological assay for direct protein-to-protein interactions. The GST tag has the size of 220 amino acids, which, compared to other tags like the myc- or the FLAG-tag, is quite big. It is fused to the N-terminus of a protein. However, many commercially-available sources of GST-tagged plasmids include a thrombin domain for cleavage of the GST tag during protein purification. A GST-tag is often used to separate and purify proteins that contain the GST-fusion. GST-fusion proteins can be produced in Escherichia coli, as recombinant proteins.

DHH is part of the Hedgehog family which encodes signaling molecules that are involved in regulating morphogenesis. DHH protein is a precursor that is autocatalytically cleaved, the N-terminal portion is soluble and contains the signalling activity while the C-terminal portion is involved in precursor processing. Additionally, the C-terminal product covalently attaches a cholesterol moiety to the N-terminal product, restricting the N-terminal product to the cell surface and preventing it from freely diffusing throughout the organism. Defects in DHH protein have been associated with partial gonadal dysgenesis (PGD) accompanied by minifascicular polyneuropathy. DHH plays a role both male gonadal differentiation and perineurial development.
DHH plays a role in intercellular signaling which is essential for a variety of patterning events during development. DHH functions as a spermatocyte survival factor in the testes & is essential for testes development.

Interleukin-10 is a multifunctional cytokine produced by a variety of cell types including T helper cells activated B cells and activated macrophages. Interleukin-10 regulates immune-mediated inflammation and modulates the function of cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes, natural killer cells and dendritic cells.

Inhibitor of Growth Family, Member 2 (ING2) belongs to the inhibitor of growth (ING) family. ING family members associate with and modulate the activity of histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes and serve in DNA repair and apoptosis. ING2 appears to be involved in p53/TP53 activation and p53/TP53-dependent apoptotic pathways, most likely by enhancing acetylation of p53/TP53. ING2 is a component of an mSin3A-like corepressor complex, which is probably involved in deacetylation of nucleosomal histones. ING2 activity is modulated by binding to phosphoinositides (PtdInsPs).

GH is a member of the somatotropin/prolactin family of hormones which play an important role in growth control. The gene, along with four other related genes, is located at the growth hormone locus on chromosome 17 where they are interspersed in the same transcriptional orientation; an arrangement which is thought to have evolved by a series of gene duplications. The five genes share a remarkably high degree of sequence identity. Alternative splicing generates additional isoforms of each of the five growth hormones, leading to further diversity and potential for specialization. This particular family member is expressed in the pituitary but not in placental tissue as is the case for the other four genes in the growth hormone locus. Mutations in or deletions of the gene lead to growth hormone deficiency and short stature.

High mobility group protein HMG-I/HMG-Y (HMGA1) belongs to the non-histone chromosomal high mobility group protein (HMG) family. HMGA1 is composed of a highly conserved AT-hook DNA-binding domain which mediates binding to AT-rich sequences in the minor groove of chromosomal DNA. HMGA1 functions as an architectural chromatin-binding transcription factor modifying the conformation of DNA by modulating nuclear protein-DNA complexes. Furthermore, HMGA1 is involved in numerous cellular processes including growth regulation, viral induction of beta-IFN gene and regulation of inducible gene transcription.