Search results

Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 7 (VAMP7) is a member of the synaptobrevin family. VAMP7 is a transmembrane protein, which is a member of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) family. VAMP7 is involved in the targeting and/or fusion of transport vesicles to their target membrane during transport of proteins from the early endosome to the lysosome. VAMP7 localizes to late endosomes and lysosomes and is involved in the fusion of transport vesicles to their target membranes. VAMP7 is essential for heterotypic fusion of late endosomes with lysosomes and homotypic lysosomal fusion. It is also necessary for calcium regulated lysosomal exocytosis. In addition, VAMP7 is involved in the export of chylomicrons from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cis Golgi. Furthermore, VAMP7 is needed for exocytosis of mediators during eosinophil and neutrophil degranulation, and target cell killing by natural killer cells.

Mercaptopyruvate Sulfurtransferase (MPST) catalyzes the transfer of a sulfur ion from 3-mercaptopyruvate to cyanide or other thiol compounds. MPST might be involved in cysteine degradation and cyanide detoxification. The MPST enzyme is regulated by oxidative stress and thioredoxin. In oxidative stress conditions, the catalytic cysteine site is transformed to a sulfenate which inhibits the MPST enzyme activity. The reduced thioredoxin cleaves an intersubunit disulfide bond to activate the redox switch and reactivate the enzyme. A deficiency in MPST activity is implicated in a rare inheritable condition known as MCDU (mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria).

MMP-2 or gelatinase A, is secreted by fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, and myofibroblasts. MMP-2 has a broad feild of substrates, that contain elastin, collagen, fibroblast growth factor, endothelin, MMP-9, plasminogen, MMP-13 and TGF-beta, pointing towards bread roles of MMP-2. MMP-2 activity boosts at day four post-MI and attains a maximum by day seven.

MMP-1 (interstitial collagenase) can break down a wide range of substrates including types I, II, III, VII, VIII, and X collagens as well as L-Selectin, pro-TNF, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5, casein, gelatin, myelin basic protein, pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9. A significant function of MMP-1 is the degradation of fibrillar collagens in extracellular matrix remodeling. MMP-1 is expressed in fibroblasts, keratinocytes, endothelial cells, monocytes and macrophages. MMP1 can be divided into a number of distinct domains: a prodomain which is cleaved on activation, a catalytic domain containing the zinc binding site and a short hinge region with a carboxyl terminal domain. MMP1 is part of a cluster of MMP genes which localize to chromosome 11q22.3.

Since April 2012, cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been identified in various countries. Coronaviruses are the cause of the common cold, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and other severe illnesses with high mortality rates, all are classified into coronavirus family. MERS-CoV is a new type of SARS found in the coronavirus family causing severe pneumonia with sudden and serious respiratory illness with high mortality rates as well. Since January 27th 2015, the WHO has reported 956 human cases, including 351 deaths. More cases of the new coronavirus strain are expected. Like in other coronaviruses, large surface spike glycoprotein is a central structural protein of this virus; it is located above the virion surface to bind and enter into the target cell. Spike protein has 2 domains- S1 and S2. The S1 domain is responsible for cellular tropism and interaction with target cell, while the S2 domain is responsible for membrane fusion. The C-terminal of S1 domain contains a receptor binding domain, and is also a potential target for vaccine development and an antigen for diagnosis.

BMP2 belongs to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFB) superfamily. Bone morphogenic protein induces bone formation. BMP2 is a candidate gene for the autosomal dominant disease of fibrodysplasia (myositis) ossificans progressiva.

Thymidine phosphorylase precursor (TYMP) is a platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor that catalyzes the formation of thymine and 2-deoxy-D-ribose-1-phosphate from thymidine and orthophosphate. TYMP is an angiogenic inducer that potently stimulates the growth of endothelial cells and induces chemotaxis. TYMP has a highly restricted target cell specificity acting only on endothelial cells. An increased expression of TYMP is found in a broad array of different solid tumors and inflammatory diseases and is frequently associated with poor prognosis. Mutations in the TYMP gene are linked to mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy.

Vps20-associated 1 homolog (VTA1) is a member of the VTA1 family. The VTA1 protein is involved in the endosomal multivesicular bodies (MVB) pathway. Furthermore, VTA1 is interacts with CHMP1B, CHMP2A, CHMP5, VPS4B, KIAA0174 (IST1) and possibly CHMP3. VTA1 is believed to be a cofactor of VPS4A/B, which catalyzes membrane-associated ESCRT-III assemblies. In addition, VTA1 is involved in the sorting and down-regulation of EGFR and also in HIV-1 budding.

Synaptobrevin 2 which is an 18 kDa integral membrane protein localized to the cytoplasmic surface of synaptic vesicle, consists of a proline-rich N-terminal region, a highly conserved hydrophilic domain, followed by a transmembrane anchor and a C-terminal. Synaptobrevin 2 is predominantly expressed in Langerhans islets and glomerular cells. The N-terminal domain of the protein (residues 1-89) forms a specific SNARE complex with the target membrane-associated t- or Q-SNAREs syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also called Human herpes virus 4 (HHV-4), is a virusof the herpes family(which includes Herpes simplex virusand Cytomegalovirus. On infecting the B-lymphocyte, the linear virus genome circularizes and the virus subsequently persists within the cell as an episome. The virus can execute several distinct programs of gene expressionwhich can be broadly categorized as being lytic cycle or latent cycle. The lytic cycleor productive infection results in staged expression of a host of viral proteinswith the ultimate objective of producing infectious virions. Formally, this phase of infection does not inevitably lead to lysis of the host cellas EBV virions are produced by budding from the infected cell. The latent cycle(lysogenic) programs are those that do not result in production of virions. A very limited, distinct set of viral proteins are produced during latent cycle infection. These include Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen(EBNA)-1, EBNA-2, EBNA-3A, EBNA-3B, EBNA-3C, EBNA-leader protein (EBNA-LP) and latent membrane proteins(LMP)-1, LMP-2A and LMP-2B and the Epstein-Barr encoded RNAs(EBERs).

A human infecting coronavirus (viral pneumonia) called 2019 novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV was found in the fish market at the city of Wuhan, Hubei province of China on December 2019.

The 2019-nCoV shares an 87% identity to the 2 bat-derived severe acute respiratory syndrome 2018 SARS-CoV-2 located in Zhoushan of eastern China. 2019-nCoV has an analogous receptor-BD-structure to that of 2018 SARS-CoV, even though there is a.a. diversity so thus the 2019-nCoV might bind to ACE2 receptor protein (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) in humans.

While bats are possibly the host of 2019-nCoV, researchers suspect that animal from the ocean sold at the seafood market was an intermediate host. RSCU analysis proposes that the 2019-nCoV is a recombinant within the viral spike glycoprotein between the bat coronavirus and an unknown coronavirus.

SARS Coronavirus is an enveloped virus containing three outer structural proteins, namely the membrane (M), envelope (E), and spike (S) proteins. Spike (S)-glycoprotein of the virus interacts with a cellular receptor and mediates membrane fusion to allow viral entry into susceptible target cells. Accordingly, S-protein plays an important role in virus infection cycle and is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies.

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein family which is part of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily.

The superfamily includes large families of growth and differentiation factors.

Bone morphogenetic proteins were originally identified by an ability of demineralized bone extract to induce endochondral osteogenesis in vivo in an extraskeletal site.

This particular family member plays an important role in the onset of endochondral bone formation in humans, and a reduction in expression has been associated with a variety of bone diseases, including the heritable disorder Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.

Alternative splicing in the 5' untranslated region of this gene has been described and three variants are described, all encoding an identical protein.

CCL23 (MIP-3) is a ligand for the CCR1chemokine receptor. CCL23 is one of several cytokine genes clustered on the q-arm of chromosome 17, in a locus containing several other CC chemokines. MIP-3 chemoattracts monocytes, resting T-lymphocytes and neutrophils, but not activated lymphocytes. Furthermore, it was shown that MIP-3 inhibits colony formation of bone marrow myeloid immature progenitors. MIP-3 is mainly expressed in lung and liver tissue, but can be also found in bone marrow and placenta, as well as in some cell lines of myeloid origin.
Alternative splicing of the CCL23 gene produces 2 mRNAs which encode a short (CK?8) and a long (CK?81) isoform of the MIP-3. CK?8 cDNA encodes a 120 amino acid residue precursor protein with a putative 21 a.a. residue signal peptide which is cleaved to generate a 99 a.a. residue mature CK?8 (a.a. 22-120). Further N-terminal processing of the 99 a.a. residue variant can produce a 75 a.a. residue CK?8 (a.a. 46-120) which is considerably more active than the 99 a.a. residue variant.
MIP-3 may be involved in the malignant progression of certain human cancer cells which overexpress ErbB2 through the transactivation of ErbB2 tyrosine kinase. MIP-3 may also be involved in angiogenesis via upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 expression.

Coproporphyrinogen Oxidase (CPOX) which is localized to the internal membrane space of erythrocytes takes part in the 6th phase of heme biosynthesis. CPOX catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of propionic acid side chains of rings A and B of coproporphyrinogen III. Mutations in human CPOX gene forecast the clinical result of the disease, with either hepatic hereditary coproporphyria or hematological manifestations of erythropoietic harderoporphyria.

Maltose Binding Protein is a member of the maltose/maltodextrin system of E.Coli, which is accountable for the uptake and efficient catabolism of maltodextrins. The maltose/maltodextrin is a complex regulatory and transport system involving many proteins and protein complexes.
MBP elevates the yield of its fusion partner in many cases and is often able to promote the solubility of polypeptides to which it is fused.

SARS Coronavirus is an enveloped virus containing three outer structural proteins, namely the membrane (M), envelope (E), and spike (S) proteins. Spike (S)-glycoprotein of the virus interacts with a cellular receptor and mediates membrane fusion to allow viral entry into susceptible target cells. Accordingly, S-protein plays an important role in virus infection cycle and is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies.

MMP-3 enzyme is also known as Stromelysin-1or as Transin-1 which hydrolyzes natural collagen at physiological pH and temperature. It dissolves the intervertebral nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus of Herniated Lumbar Intervertebral Disk . MMP-3 hydrolyzes components of the extracellular matrix like proteoglycan, laminin, fibronectin, gelatin and collagen types III, IV and IX. It also activates pro-MMP-9 and pro-MMP-8 and superactivates plasmin activated MMP-1. MMP-3 is secreted as a latent proenzyme and is activated by a variety of proteinases, e.g. plasmin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, cathepsin G or human neutrophil elastase. MMP-3 was found to be capable of activating the precursor of IL1-beta.

Borrelia is a part of a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. Borrelia causes borreliosis, which is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted mainly by ticks and some by lice, depending on the species. Borreliella bavariensis is one of the pathogens of the Borreliella burgdorferi sensu lato complex which causes Lyme disease. Decorin binding protein A (DbpA), also known as Osp17 or p17 is expressed during the mammalian phase of infection. DbpA is binds the pathogen to host collagen-associated proteoglycan decorin.

A natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR) NKp46 has been shown to represent a novel NK cell-specific molecule involved in human NK cell activation. The natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs) are a recently characterized family of Ig-like activation receptors that appear to be major triggering receptors in tumor cell recognition. The three known NCRs include NKp46 and NKp30, which are expressed on circulating NKcells, and NKp44, which is expressed only on activating NK cells. NKp46 has been implicated in NK cell-mediated lysis of several autologous tumor cells, pathogen-infected cell lines and mononuclear phagocytes infected with an intracellular bacterium. The Lysis of tumor cells by NK-cells involves recognition by NKp46 of heparan sulfate moieties of membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Furthermore, NKp46 is a surface receptor involved in NK-cell cell death by apoptosis. NKp46 has two extracellular Ig-like domains followed by a ~40 residue stalk region, a type I transmembrane domain, and a short cytoplasmic tail. The extracellular Ig-like domain of NKp46 (22-255aa) is purified by FPLC gel-filtration chromatography, after refolding of the isolated inclusion bodies in a redox buffer. In addition, engagement of the antigen with the monoclonal antibody stimulates intracellular calcium levels and the synthesis of cytokines. CD59 is an NKp46 coreceptor (by physical association) together they activate cytotoxicity of human NK-cells, their engagement results in tyrosine phosphorylation of CD3-zeta chains associated with NKp46. Reduced cell surface expression of NKp46 and other NK-cell receptors is linked to the impaired NK-cell cytolytic function in viremic HIV-1 infection.

H3N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus. Its name derives from the forms of the two kinds of proteinson the surface of its coat, hemagglutinin(H) and neuraminidase(N). H3N2 exchanges genes for internal proteins with other influenza subtypes. H3N2 has tended to dominate in prevalence over H1N1, H1N2, and influenza B. H3N2 strain descended from H2N2 by antigenic shift, in which genes from multiple subtypes re-assorted to form a new virus. Both the H2N2and H3N2 strains contained genesfrom avian influenzaviruses.

Receptors across the cell membrane interact with some viral glycoproteins therefor enabling HSV to enter the host cell. The HSV enter through pores created by the binding of particular receptors across the cell membrane with the virus's coating envelope, following by a fusion of the HSV and the host cell. HSV enters the host cell through the same mechanism and stages as other viruses do. Initially, matching receptors across the virus's envelope and host cell's membrane interacts and bring the two together. During the transitional stage, begins fusion between the host cell and virus (hemifusion state). The closing stage happens when a steady pore was made; through these pores the virus's particles enter the cell.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the major etiologic agent of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis worldwide, is a spherical, non-enveloped, single stranded RNA virus that is approximately 32 to 34 nm in diameter. HEV belongs to a genus of HEV-like viruses (unassigned genus). HEV has a single-stranded polyadenylated RNA genome of approximately 8 kb. Based on its physicochemical properties it is presumed to be a calici-like virus.

Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of zinc and calcium-dependent endopeptidases that break down extracellular matrix proteins. The MMP9 is secreted as a 92kDa zymogen. Cleavage of ProMMP-9 results in the active enzyme, having a molecular weight of approximately 82kDa. MMP9 is composed of the following domains: a gelatin-binding domain consisting of three fibronectin type II units, a catalytic domain containing the zinc-binding site, a proline-rich type V collagen-homologous domain and a hemopexin-like domain. MMP9 is produced by the several cell types: monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, keratinocytes, fibroblasts, osteoclasts and endothelial cells. MMP9 is involved in inflammatory responses, tissue remodeling, wound healing, tumor growth and metastasis. MMP9 may also play an important part in local proteolysis of the extracellular matrix and in leukocyte migration, as well as in bone osteoclastic resorption. MMP9 cleaves type IV and type V collagens into large C-terminal three quarter fragments and shorter N-terminal one quarter fragments. MMP9 can also degrade fibronectin but not laminin or Pz-peptide.
MMP9 defects may be a cause of susceptibility to intervertebral disc disease (IDD), also known as lumbar disk herniation (LDH).