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Mesoderm development candidate 2 (MESDC2) is required for formation of the primitive streak and mesoderm during embryogenesis. MESDC2 binds to the Wnt co-receptors LRP5 and LRP6 in the endoplasmic reticulum and is required for their proper folding and cell surface expression.

a-Synuclein (amino acids 1-140), an acidic neuronal protein of 140 amino acids, is extremely heat-resistant and is natively unfolded with an extended structure primarily composed of random coils. a-synuclein has been suggested to be implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, and more recently, to be an important regulatory component of vesicular transport in neuronal cells. Moreover, recent studies have shown that a-synuclein has chaperone activity and that this activity is lost upon removing its C-terminal acidic tail (amino acids 96-140).

Sorting nexin 3 (SNX3) belongs to the large family of hydrophilic proteins, which interact with various receptor types and are involved in intracellular trafficking. SNX3 interacts with phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate, and is involved in protein trafficking. SNX3 comprises a distinct subgroup of nexins, which share less sequence similarity outside of the PX domain and have significantly different binding affinities for the tyrosine kinase receptors.

Programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PDCD1LG2) which takes part in the costimulatory signal, is necessary for T-cell proliferation. PDCD1LG2 is also involved in IFNG production in a PDCD1-independent way. The interaction with PDCD1 inhibits T-cell proliferation by preventing cytokine production and cell cycle progression.

Growth/differentiation factors (GDF1-GDF15) belong to the BMP family of TGF-beta superfamily proteins. These factors are produced as inactive preproproteins which are subsequently cleaved and assembled into active secreted homodimers. BMP13 is a growth factor which controls proliferation and cellular differentiation in the retina and bone formation. BMP13 has a central role in regulating apoptosis during retinal development. GDF proteins are vital during embryonic development, particularly in the skeletal, nervous, and muscular systems. BMP13 gene mutations result in colobomata, which are congenital abnormalities in ocular development, and in Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS), which is a congenital disorder of spinal segmentation.

HOXB13 is a transcription factor and a member of the homeobox gene family which are extremely conserved in vertebrates and vital for vertebrate embryonic development. HOXB13 is involved in fetal skin development and cutaneous regeneration. In mice, a similar gene displayed temporal and spatial colinearity in the main body axis of the embryo, however it was not expressed in the secondary axes, implying that it has a roles in body patterning along the axis.

NudE Neurodevelopment Protein 1-Like 1 also known as NDEL1 is a coiled-coil protein which participates in multiple processes as well as cytoskeletalorganization, cell signaling and neuron migration, outgrowth and maintenance. Alternatively spliced transcriptvariants encoding multiple isoforms have been observed for NDEL1, and a pseudogene of this gene is placed onthe long arm of chromosome X. One of the diseases associated with NDEL1 is iridocyclitis.

AMRC10 is a protein which contains an armadillo repeat and transmembrane domain. Upregulation of the AMRC10 gene has a role in hepatocellular carcinoma. AMRC10 decreases the transcriptional activity of the tumor suppressor protein p53 through direct interaction with the DNA-binding domain of p53, moreover it might play a role in cell growth and survival.

RTN4IP1 is a unique mitochondrial protein that interacts with reticulon 4, which is an effective inhibitor of regeneration ensuing spinal cord injury. The reticulon 4 interaction with mitochondrial proteins may offer insight into the mechanisms for reticulon-induced inhibition of neurite growth.

Bcl-2–associated X protein (Bax) belongs to the Bcl-2 protein family. Bax is a pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein containing BH1, BH2 and BH3 domains. Bax accelerates programmed cell death by binding to, and antagonizing the apoptosis repressor bcl2 or its adenovirus homolog e1b 19k protein. Bax induces the release of cytochrome c, activation of casp3, and thereby apoptosis. Bax is expressed in a wide variety of tissues, with highest levels in the testis and ovary. Tumor suppressor protein p53 upregulates the expression of BAX. Bax has been shown to be involved in p53-mediated apoptosis.

Sorcin (SRI) which is a 22kDa calcium-binding protein was originally identified in multidrug-resistant cells. Sorcin, which modulates excitation-contraction coupling in the heart, contributes to calcium homeostasis in the heart sarcoplasmic reticulum.

HUS1 is a component of an evolutionarily conserved, genotoxin-activated checkpoint complex. HUS1 protein connects with Rad9 and Rad1 to form the 9-1-1(RAD9-RAD1-HUS1) complex, that confines to DNA lesions and promotes DNA damage signaling and repair or apoptosis, cell cycle arrest. The trimeric complex is structurally similar to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) sliding clamp and interacts with Rad17 as a clamp-clamp loader pair during the DNA damage response.

HMGB2 belongs to the non-histone chromosomal high-mobility group protein family which are chromatin-associated and highly spread in the nucleus of higher eukaryotic cells. HMGB2 can successfully bend DNA and form DNA circles which indicates that HMGB2 facilitates cooperative interactions between cis-acting proteins by promoting DNA flexibility. Additionally, HMGB2 takes part in the final ligation step in DNA end-joining processes of DNA double-strand breaks repair and V(D)J recombination.

JSRP1 takes part in excitation-contraction connection at the sarcoplasmic reticulum. JSRP1 is able to cooperate with CACNA1S, CACNB1 and calsequestrin to assist in regulating calcium influx and efflux in skeletal muscle.

CKS1B protein which binds to the catalytic subunit of cyclin dependent kinases is vital for their biological function. The CKS1B mRNA is expressed in HeLa cells during the course of cell cycle in several forms which suggests that the encoded protein has a particular function. Two transcript variants were identified for this gene however it seems that only one of them encodes a protein.

RQCD1 is a novel transcriptional cofactor which mediates retinoic acid-induced cell differentiation. RQCD1 down-regulates MYB- and JUN-dependent transcription and may have a role in cell differentiation. RQCD1 also has a role in retinoic acid-controlled lung development.

STIP1 is an adaptor protein that mediates the functions of HSP70 & HSP90 in protein folding. STIP1 supports the transfer of proteins from HSP70 to HSP90 by binding together HSP90 and substrate-bound HSP70. STIP1 stimulates the ATPase activity of HSP70 and inhibits the ATPase activity of HSP90, suggesting that it regulates both the conformations and ATPase cycles of these chaperones. STIP1 genetic variations are involved in regulating corticosteroid response in asthmatic subjects with reduced lung function.

Small Ubiquitin-like Modifiers (SUMOs) are a family of small, related proteins that can be enzymatically attached to a target protein by a post-translational modification process termed sumoylation. Unlike ubiquitination, which targets proteins for degradation, sumoylation participates in a number of cellular processes, such as nuclear transport, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, and protein stability. All SUMO proteins share the conserved ubiquitin domain and the C-terminal diglycine cleavage/attachment site. Human SUMO2, also known as Sentrin2 and SMT3B is synthesized as a 95 amino acid (aa), 11 kDa propeptide that contains a two aa C-terminal prosegment, and an 18 aa N-terminal protein interacting region (aa 33 -50). Following prosegment cleavage, the C-terminal glycine is enzymatically attached to a lysine on a target protein. Human SUMO2 shares 100% sequence identity to SUMO-2 from mouse. SUMO2 also has very high sequence homology to SUMO3 and SUMO4, 86 % and 85%, respectively. SUMO2 shares only 44% sequence identity to SUMO1.

WDR5, also designated BMP-2-induced gene 3 kb or BIG-3, belongs to the family of WD-40 repeat proteins, and is essential for vertebrate development, Hox gene activation and global H3K4 trimethylation. This protein is expressed in osteoblasts, chondrocytes, osteocytes and marrow stromal cells. WDR5 may play a role in its function of accelerating osteoblast differentiation.

Dystroglycan 1 (DAG1) is a laminin binding component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex which provides a connection between the subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. The N-terminal domain of alpha-dystroglycan is secreted into the cerebrospinal fluid. The effect of DAG1 on the nervous system remains vague. The complete dystroglycan complex is expressed in a various tissues and has a role in processes such as laminin and basement membrane assembly, sarcolemmal stability, cell survival, peripheral nerve myelination, nodal structure, cell migration, and epithelial polarization. DAG1 is a candidate gene for the site of the mutation in autosomal recessive muscular dystrophies. The dramatic decrease of DAG1 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy leads to a loss of linkage between the sarcolemma and extracellular matrix, making muscle fibers more susceptible to necrosis.

Developmental pluripotency-associated 5 proteins (DPPA5) is a 116 amino acid protein, which localizes to the cytoplasm and contains one KH domain. DPPA5 is expressed in embryonic germ (EG), primordial germ (PG) and embryonic stem (ES) cells. DPPA5 has an imperative role in the maintenance of ES cell pluripotency and may be essential for proper embryogenesis.

Gastrokine-1 (GKN1) is a member of the gastrokine family. GKN1 has mitogenic activity and is involved in preserving the integrity of the gastric mucosal epithelium. GKN1 is down-regulated in human gastric cancer tissue in comparison to normal gastric mucosa. GKN1 is expressed in the stomach; however no expression is detected in cancer tissue or gastric cancer cell lines.

Translin is a DNA and RNA binding protein that identifies specifically preserved target sequences at the breakpoint junction of chromosomal translocations. TSN forms a ring-shaped configuration, that is in charge of DNA binding, and in addition has a leucine zipper motif, which is believed to assist TSN to form dimers. TSN exports specific mRNAs out of the nucleus, reinforced by its localization in both the nuclei and cytoplasm of neurons, and regulates their translation.