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HP-NAP protects DNA from oxidative damage by sequestering intracellular Fe2+ ion and storing it in the form of Fe3+ oxyhydroxide mineral. One hydrogen peroxide oxidizes two Fe2+ ions, thus preventing hydroxyl radical production by the Fenton reaction. HP-NAP is necessary for the survival in the presence of oxidative stress. Dps is also a virulence factor which activates neutrophils, mast cells and monocytes. HP-NAP binds to neutrophil-glycosphingolipids and to sulfated carbohydrates on mucin. HP-NAP might play a part in the accumulation of neutrophils and monocytes at the site of infection. HP-NAP induces superoxide anion generation, adhesion and chemotaxis of neutrophils, via a pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway involving MAP kinases.

ApoA5 is an important regulator of serum triglyceride concentrations. An ApoA5 mouse nock-out model produced an approximately four fold increase in serum triglycerides, whereas a knock-in model human ApoA5 produced 50-70% lower concentrations of mouse serum triglycerides. Furthermore, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptoragonists, which are used clinically to lower serum triglyceride concentrations, cause increased ApoA5 mRNA expression. There is very little known about ApoA5 protein in human serum. Lately, it was established that ApoA5 is present in the human serum and it can be detected by polyclonal antibodies against both the HN2 and COOH termini, but at much lower concentration than other apolipoproteins.

EPO a is a member of the EPO/TPO family and encodes a secreted, glycosylated cytokine composed of four alpha helical bundles. EPO a is found in the plasma and regulates red cell production by promoting erythroid differentiation and initiating hemoglobin synthesis. EPO a also has neuroprotective activity against a variety of potential brain injuries and antiapoptotic functions in several tissue types.

Chromosome 19 Open Reading Frame 80 (C19ORF80) is a significant new regulator of lipid metabolism which regulates serum triglyceride levels, possibly by promoting ANGPTL3 cleavage. C19ORF80 belongs to the ANGPTL protein family. C19ORF80 is a hormone which specifically promotes pancreatic beta cell proliferation and beta cell mass expansion, thus improving glucose tolerance. C19ORF80 is mainly expressed in the liver; it is also expressed in adipose tissues. C19ORF80 is expressed in response to food intake and stimulated by insulin.

FGF8 is part of the fibroblast growth factor family. FGF family members have wide mitogenic and cell survival activities, and participate in a variety of biological processes, including embryonic development, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth and invasion. FGF8 supports androgen and anchorage independent growth of mammary tumor cells. FGF8 over expression increases tumor growth and angiogensis. The adult expression of FGF-8 gene is restricted to testes and ovaries. FGF8 functions as an embryonic epithelial factor. FGF8 takes part in midbrain and limb development, organogenesis, embryo gastrulation and left-right axis determination.

Thrombopoietin is a glycoprotein hormone produced mainly by the liver and the kidney which regulates the production of platelets by the bone marrow. TPO stimulates the production as well as differentiation of megakaryocytes, the bone marrow cells which fragment into large numbers of platelets.

GHBP is a transmembrane receptor for growth hormone. Binding of growth hormone to the receptor leads to receptor dimerization and the activation of an intra- and intercellular signal transduction pathway leading to growth. A common alternate allele of this gene, called GHRd3, lacks exon three and has been well-characterized. Mutations in this gene have been associated with Laron syndrome, also known as the growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS), a disorder characterized by short stature. Other splice variants, including one encoding a soluble form of the protein (GHRtr), have been observed but have not been thoroughly characterized.

Crystallin, Mu (CRYM) is a taxon-specific crystallin protein which binds NADPH and has sequence similarity to bacterial ornithine cyclodeaminases. CRYM doesn’t perform a structural role in lens tissue; instead CRYM binds thyroid hormone for possible regulatory or developmental roles. CRYM gene mutations are linked with autosomal dominant non-syndromic deafness. CRYM specifically catalyzes the reduction of imine bonds in brain substrates which may include cystathionine ketamine and lanthionine ketamine.

Overexpression of the HIF1AN is linked with tumor aggressiveness in pancreatic endocrine tumors. HIF1AN hydroxylates Notch ICD at two residues that are crucial for the function of Notch ICD as a transactivator within cells and during neurogenesis and myogenesis. HIF1AN is commonly expressed in invasive breast carcinoma. The hypoxic response and survival recommends that tumour regulation of HIF1AN is an additional important mechanism for HIF pathway activation. HIF1AN is an asparaginyl hydroxylase enzyme that controls the transcriptional activity of hypoxia-inducible factor. FIH1 is a part of the Fe2+ and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily, FIH1 is protein that hydoxylates a specific asparagine residue (Asn-803) within the HIF1A C-terminal transactivation domain. In normoxia, the HIF1AN-mediated hydroxylation of the HIF1? transactivation domain which results in blockage of the HIF1A-p300/CBP interaction and represses transcriptional activity of HIF1A targeted genes.

Secernin 1 (SCRN1) which is a member of the peptidase C69 family, regulates exocytosis in mast cells. SCRN1 increases both the level of secretion and the sensitivity of mast cells to stimulation with calcium.

Homeobox A9 (HOXA9) is a member of the Abd-B homeobox family. The HOXA9 protein is a transcription factor with a key role in both haemopoiesis and leukaemia. High levels of HOXA9 expression in haemopoietic cells is a distinctive feature of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and may be sufficient to cause this disease. HOXA9 overexpression noticeably expands hematopoietic stem cells. The HOXA9 gene is part of the A cluster on chromosome 7 and encodes a DNA-binding transcription factor which regulates gene expression, morphogenesis, and differentiation. HOXA9 is a sequence-specific transcription factor which is part of a developmental regulatory system, which provides cells with specific positional identities on the anterior-posterior axis. HOXA9 is essential for induction of E-selectin and VCAM-1, on the endothelial cells surface at sites of inflammation.

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.

Caspase Recruitment Domain Family, Member 17 (CARD17) is a regulator of procaspase-1/CASP1 activation involved in the regulation of the proteolytic maturation of pro-IL-1beta/IL1B and its release throughout inflammation. CARD17 inhibits the release of IL1B in reaction to LPS in monocytes. Though, unlike CASP1, CARD17 do not induce NF-kappa-B activation.

Glutaredoxin belongs to the thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase family. Glutraredoxins catalyze the reversible reduction of protein-glutathionyl mixed disulfides to free sulfhydryl groups though a monothiol mechanism. Glutaredoxin-3 (GRX3) is an important protein involved in the regulation of signal transduction, for example during immune cell activation and development of cardiac hypertrophy, apparently in response to redox signals. GRX3 interacts with PRKCQ. GRX3 may have a role in the regulation the function of the thioredoxin system. GRX3 is expressed in the heart, spleen, testis and, to a lower extent, in the thymus and peripheral blood leukocytes. GRX3 is weakly expressed in lung, placenta, colon and small intestine.

HCST (Hematopoietic Cell Signal Transducer) is part of the DAP10 family. HCST is capable of being a part of an immunoreceptor complex. HCST takes a vital part in inducing cytotoxicity against MHC class I chain-associated MICA & target cells expressing cell surface ligands such as UL16-binding protein (ULBP) & MICB. HCST complex participates in proliferation as well as cell survival by activating T & NK cell responses.

The fasting-induced adipose factor (FIAF, ANGPTL4, PGAR, HFARP) was identified as an adipocytokine up-regulated by fasting, by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, and by hypoxia. At the protein level, in human and mouse blood plasma, FIAF was found to be present both as a native protein and in a truncated form. Differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes was associated with the production of truncated FIAF, whereas in human white adipose tissue and SGBS adipocytes, only the native FIAF could be detected. Interestingly, the truncated FIAF was produced by human liver.
Experimental data suggest that FIAF is mainly presented in human blood plasma in a truncated form (FIAF-S2), whose level is increased by fenofibrate treatment. Levels of both truncated and native FIAF showed marked inter individual variation but were not associated with body mass index and were not influenced by prolonged semistarvation.

Heparanase is an endo β-D-glucuronidase, which degrades heparan sulfate side chains of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in the extracellular matrix. Heparanase plays an important role in ECM degradation, facilitating the migration and extravasation of tumor cells and inflammatory leukocytes (1,2,3). Upon degradation, heparanase releases growth factors and cytokines that stimulate cell proliferation and chemotaxis (4,5). Heparanase is a heterodimer comprised of a 50 kDa subunit harboring the active site and a 8 kDa subunit. It is produced as a latent 65 kDa precursor and proteolytically processed to its active form (1,6). Heparanase is highly expressed in myeloid leukocytes (i.e. neutrophils) in platelets and in human placenta. Human heparanase was found to be upregulated in various types of primary tumors, correlating in some cases with increased tumor invasiveness and vascularity and with poor prospective survival (7,8).

Platelet factor-4 is a 70-amino acid protein that is released from the alpha-granules of activated platelets . Its major physiologic role appears to be neutralization of molecules on the endothelial surface of blood vessels, thereby inhibiting local antithrombin III activity and promoting coagulation. As a strong chemoattractant for neutrophils and fibroblasts, PF4 probably has a role in inflammation and wound repair. Oncostatin-A is a member of the CXC chemocinfamily. Human PF4 is used for the proof of induced thrombocytopenia. Furthermore it is used as an inhibitor in the angiogenesis during tumor therapy.

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the glial cell line-derived neurotophic factor (GDNF) family of ligands which are a group of ligands within the TGF-beta superfamily of signaling molecules. GDNFs are unique in having neurotrophic properties and have potential use for gene therapy in neurodegenrative disease. Artemin has been shown in culture to support the survival of a number of periferal neuron populations and at least one population of dopaminergic CNS neurons. Its role in the PNS and CNS is further substantiated by its expression pattern in the proximity of these neurons. This protein is a ligand for the RET receptor and uses GFR-alpha 3 as a coreceptor. Four alternatively spliced transcripts have been described, two of which encode the same protein.

Dendritic cell and monocyte chemokinelike protein (DMC/CXCL17/VEGF-correlated chemokine 1/VCC1), is a secreted molecule with a size and predicted 3-dimensional folding pattern similar to that of chemokines CXCL8/IL8 and CXCL14/BRAK. CXCL17 is constitutively generated by airway and intestinal epithelium. CXCL17 induces the chemotaxis of quiescent, but not LPS-activated peripheral blood monocytes and dendritic cells, and it also binds these cells specifically. The expression of CXCL17 is increased in endothelial cells when they are induced to form tubes in vitro. CXCL17, CXCL1/GRO and CXCL8/IL8 which have roles in angiogenesis, show significantly correlated expression with that of VEGF in primary lung, breast and esophageal tumors. Therefore, CXCL17 is suggested to have a role in tumor angiogenesis. The mature Rat CXCL17 shares 82%, 71% amino acid sequence identity with mouse, human CXCL17, respectively.

Endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1) is a proteoglycan secreted by endothelial cells (mostly in the human lung and kidney tissues) and its mRNA expression is regulated by inflammatory cytokines. ESM1 has potent implications in lung endothelial cell-leukocyte interactions. In addition, ESM1 expression is detected in various epithelia and in adipocytes. ESM1 is involved in angiogenesis and it also promotes angiogenic sprouting. ESM1 expression is upregulated by TNF alpha, IL1 beta, or lipopolysaccharide and downregulated by IFN gamma. Genetically engineered cells overexpressing ESM1 induce tumor formation, implying that ESM1 might be involved in the pathophysiology of tumor growth in vivo.

CARD18 belongs to the death-domain-fold superfamily which is induced by proinflammatory stimuli. CARD18 contains basically only a Caspase recruitment domain, inhibits generation of IL-1b by cooperating with caspase-1 and inhibiting connotation with RIP 2. The connotation of CARD18 to caspase-1 is enabled by the charge-charge interactions between the prodomain of caspase-1 and the surface charge of CARD18.