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Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), are a family of cell surface glycoproteins found on Natural Killer (NK) Cells, which are important cells of the immune system. They control the killing function of these cells by interacting with MHC class I molecules, which are expressed on all cell types. This interaction allows them to identify virally infected cells or tumor cells that have a distinctive low level of Class I MHC on their surface. The majority of KIRs are inhibitory, which means that their recognition of MHC suppresses the cytotoxic activity of their NK cell. Only a limited number of KIRs have the capacity to activate cells.
The KIR genes are found in a cluster on chromosome 19q13.4 within the 1 Mb leukocyte receptor complex (LRC). KIR molecules are extremely polymorphic, meaning their gene sequences differ significantly between individuals, so that different individuals have different arrays/repertoires of KIR genes.
The KIR proteins are categorized by the number of extracellular immunoglobulin domains (2D or 3D) and by whether they have a long (L) or short (S) cytoplasmic domain. KIR proteins with the long cytoplasmic domain transduce inhibitory signals upon ligand binding via an immune tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM). Whereas KIR proteins with the short cytoplasmic domain lack the ITIM motif and instead associate with the TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein to transduce activating signals.
KIR2DL1 is an inhibitory Killer Cell Ig-like Receptor (KIR, previously called p58 KIR, p58.1, cl-42, NKAT1, or KIR-K6), which recognizes class I MHC molecules (HLA-Cw2, -Cw4, -Cw5, and Cw6). The extracellular domain of KIR2DL1 was over expressed as insoluble protein aggregates (inclusion bodies).

GADD45GIP1 is a nuclear protein which takes part in apoptosis control. GADD45GIP1 is expressed in several tissues, such as heart, thyroid, trachea, kidney, ovary, pancreas, testis and stomach and acts as a negative regulator of G1 to S phase cell cycle production by collaborating with GADD45 proteins to inhibit the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases.

Cell surface glycoprotein MUC18 (MCAM), is an integral membrane glycoprotein which is part of the immunoglobulin superfamily. MCAM is related with a variety of carcinomas such as tumor progression, metastasis and is also implicated in embryonic neural development. In Addition, MCAM takes part in cell adhesion, as well as in cohesion of the endothelial monolayer at the intercellular junctions in vascular tissue.

RELM-gamma is a novel member of the resistin-like molecule/found in inflammatory zone (RELM/FIZZ) family in mice and rats. Microarray and real-time RT-PCR experiments revealed a repression of RELMgamma mRNA in nasal respiratory epithelium of cigarette smoke-exposed versus untreated rats. The analysis of the physiological tissue-specific expression revealed highest expression in hematopoietic tissues, suggesting a cytokine-like role for RELM-gamma. RELM-gamma-mRNA is detectable in bone marrow, spleen, and lung as well as in peripheral blood granulocytes. Promyelocytic HL60 cells transfected with a RELM-gamma expression plasmid have an increased proliferation rate compared to mock-transfected cells and display an altered response to retinoic acid-induced granulocytic differentiation. Taken together, these data provide the first experimental evidence that RELM-gamma is a secreted molecule with a restricted expression pattern that may play a role in promyelocytic differentiation.

The protein encoded by this gene is a cytokine that regulates T and natural killer cell activation and proliferation. This cytokine and interleukine 2 share many biological activities. They are found to bind common hematopoietin receptor subunits, and may compete for the same receptor, and thus negatively regulate each other's activity. The number of CD8+ memory cells is shown to be controlled by a balance between this cytokine and IL2. This cytokine induces the activation of JAK kinases, as well as the phosphorylation and activation of transcription activators STAT3, STAT5, and STAT6. Studies of the mouse counterpart suggested that this cytokine may increase the expression of apoptosis inhibitor BCL2L1/BCL-x(L), possibly through the transcription activation activity of STAT6, and thus prevent apoptosis. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene encoding the same protein have been reported.

Killer Cell lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K, Member 1 (KLRK1) is an activating receptor which has recently generated considerable interest. The most fascinating of these, are a couple of closely related proteins known as MICA and MICB. These are cell-surface molecules distantly related to MHC class I proteins, and their genes have elements of heat shock promoters. Thus, MICA and MICB are expressed in the course of cell stress and are up-regulated in tumor cells and during viral infections. This receptor-ligand combination has a crucial role in the immune response to various pathologies.

Polymerase (RNA) II (DNA directed) Polypeptide J (POLR2J) is a subunit of RNA polymerase II, the polymerase responsible for synthesizing messenger RNA in eukaryotes. The POLR2J protein occurs as a heterodimer with another polymerase subunit; together they develop a core subassembly unit of the polymerase. POLR2J is ubiquitously expressed, having a high expression in the heart and skeletal muscle.

Excess adiposity is the most important risk in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Adipose tissue produces several proteins (adipocytokines) such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor-?, and IL-6, that modulate insulin sensitivity and appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. However, the mechanisms by which fat tissue induces insulin resistance and the role of adipocytokines in the pathogenesis of T2DM have not been well established. Visfatin, also known as pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF), is a cytokine that is highly expressed in visceral fat and was originally isolated as a secreted factor that synergizes with IL-7 and stem cell factors to promote the growth of B cell precursors. Visfatin homologs have been identified in carp, invertebrate mollusks, and bacteria, as well as in vertebrates, including humans and the mouse. It has been postulated to play a role in innate immunity.
Visfatin exerts insulin-mimetic effects that are dose-dependent and quantitatively similar to those of insulin in stimulating muscle and adipocyte glucose transport, and in inhibiting hepatocyte glucose production. Intravenous injection of recombinant visfatin in mice decreased plasma glucose in a dose-dependent fashion. In keeping with its insulin-mimetic effects, visfatin was as effective as insulin in reducing hyperglycemia in insulin-deficient diabetic mice. Visfatin was also found to be bound to and activate insulin receptor, causing receptor phosphorylation and the activation of downstream signaling molecules. However, visfatin and insulin did not compete for binding to the insulin receptor, indicating that the two proteins were recognized by different regions of the receptor. Thus, visfatin might play a role in glucose homeostasis and dysregulation in biosynthesis or signal transduction, and might contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes.

Paraoxonase-1 or PON1 is part of the paraoxonase group of proteins. PON1 is an enzyme, responsible to the toxic metabolites of a different of organophosphorus insecticides hydrolyzation. Furthermore, PON1 is a dominant anti-atherosclerotic part of HDL. The enzyme needs PPAR-gamma for activation, leading to synthesis and release of paraoxonase 1 from the liver tissue, resulting in atherosclerosis reduction. PON1 has many qualities for atheroprotective through inflammatory lipid peroxides metabolism. This enzyme can hydrolyze a large number of substrates, for example cyclic carbonates, lactones, nerve gases etc.

Zika virus (ZIKV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, it is transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. The Zika virus is related to the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Much like the other flaviviruses, Zika virus is enveloped and icosahedral and has a nonsegmented, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome. Zika fever is an infection, which often causes no symptoms or only mild ones, like a mild form of dengue fever, and it is treated by rest. As of February 2016, there has been mounting evidence that Zika fever in pregnant women can cause abnormal brain development in their fetuses by mother-to-child transmission, which may result in miscarriage or microcephaly, however it is not yet known whether Zika virus causes microcephaly. Furthermore, a connection has been established with neurologic conditions in infected adults, including Guillain–Barre syndrome.

Salmonella Typhi is a pathogen causing typhoid fever, affecting over 17 million people with approximately 600,000 deaths annually worldwide. If untreated, typhoid fever cases result in mortality rates ranging from 12-30%.

Galactose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase (GALT) catalyzes the 2nd step of the “Leloir pathway” of galactose metabolism, specifically the conversion of UDP-glucose + galactose-1-phosphate to glucose-1-phosphate + UDP-galactose. The deficiency of the GALT enzyme results in typical galactosemia in humans and may be fatal in the newborn stage if lactose is not eliminated from the diet. Galactosemia pathophysiology has not been clearly defined.

SERTA domain containing 2 (SERTAD2) takes part at E2F-responsive promoters to integrate signals which are given by PHD- and bromodomain-containing transcription factors. The SERTAD2 protein is taking part in modulating fat storage by down-regulating the expression of key genes which take part in thermogenesis, adipocyte lipolysis and oxidative metabolism.

Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor beta isoform 1 (GDI2) is a member of the GDP dissociation inhibitors (GDIs) family. GDI proteins can bind and release GDP-bound Rab proteins from membranes. GDI1 interacts with virtually all of the Rab proteins, whereas GDI2 interacts with Rabll but not Rab3A. GDI2 distributes ubiquitously, presenting a membrane bound location in perinuclear regions of cells.

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.

Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 1 (HAVCR1) is a membrane receptor for both human hepatitis A virus (HHAV) and TIMD4. HAVCR1 is a type I trans-membrane structural glycoprotein located in the renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. HAVCR1 protein may be involved in the control of asthma and allergic diseases. The reference genome represents an allele which retains a MTTVP amino acid segment that presents defense against atopy in HHAV seropositive individuals.

ORF73 protein of human herpesvirus 8 is a Kaposi''s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latent protein that is suspected of playing a critical role in modulating viral and cellular gene expression. ORF73 is linked to cellular chromatin and stays on the chromosomes during cell division. ORF73 maintains the viral genomes during cell division by tethering the viral episomes to the chromosomes. ORF73 binds directly to replication origin recognition complexes which are primarily connected with the terminal repeat region of the HHV8 genome.

Geminin is a 25 kDa nuclear protein, which inhibits DNA replication and is degraded during the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. Geminin controls replication by binding to the licensing factor Cdt1, and is involved in neural differentiation. In addition, Geminin directly interacts with Six3 and Hox homeodomain proteins during embryogenesis and inhibits their functions. Geminin can also promote DNA replication. Geminin has 2 roles in 2 different stages of the cell cycle: Geminin is a negative regulator of DNA replication during the “S phase” of the cell cycle. Inhibition of Geminin during the “S phase” (by RNAi) results in an additional round of replication of portions of the genome. During the “M phase” of the cell cycle (mitosis) Geminin stabilizes the replication factor Cdt1 promoting DNA replication during the next cell cycle. Moreover, inhibition of Geminin during mitosis (by RNAi) causes destabilization of Cdt1 protein and impairment of DNA replication during the next cell cycle. G

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is a subtype of the Influenza A virus. Subtype H5N1 is commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu. H5N1 may cause more than one influenza pandemicas it is expected to continue mutating in birds. The dominant strain of HPAI A (H5N1) evolved creating the Z genotype. It has also been called Asian lineage HPAI/A/H5N1 which is divided into 2 antigenic clades. "Clade 1 includes human and bird isolates from Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia and bird isolates from Laosand Malaysia. Clade 2 viruses were first identified in bird isolates from China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea before spreading westward to the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

Von Willebrand Factor A Domain Containing 2 (VWA2) is an extracellular matrix protein containing vWA-like domains. VWA2 contains a signal peptide sequence, an N-terminal VWA domain connected to 2 additional tandem vWA domains by a cysteine-rich sequence and an EGF-like domain. Also, another EGF-like domain is located at the C-terminus. Expression of VWA2 is induced in stage II, III and IV colon cancers and colon adenomas and is considered a novel serum marker for the diagnosis of early-stage colon cancer.

TARC cDNA encodes a 94 amino acid precursor protein with a 23 amino acid residue signal peptide that is cleaved off to generate the 71 amino acid residue mature secreted protein. Along with CC chemokine family members, CCL-17 has approximately 24-29% amino acid sequence identity with RANTES, MIP-1a, MIP-1b, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3 and I-309. TARC is expressed in thymus, and at a lower level in the lung, colon, and small intestine. TARC is in addition transiently expressed in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Recombinant TARC has been shown to be chemotactic for T cell lines but not monocytes or neutrophils. CCL-17 is a specific functional ligand for CCR4, a receptor that is selectively expressed on T cells. CCL17 is one of a few Cys-Cys (CC) cytokine genes clustered on the q arm of chromosome 16. CCL17 shows chemotactic activity for T lymphocytes, but not monocytes or granulocytes. CCL17 binds to chemokine receptors CCR4 and CCR8. This chemokine plays important roles in T cell development in thymus as well as in trafficking and activation of mature T cells.

Major pollen allergen Aln g 1 (Aln G 1.0101) causes an allergic reaction in humans.

Chlamydia is a common term for infection with any bacterium belonging to the phylum Chlamydiae. This term derives from the name of the bacterial genus Chlamydiain the family Chlamydiaceae, order Chlamydiales, class and phylum Chlamydiae. There are two genera in Chlamydiaceae: Chlamydia and Chlamydophila. The genus Chlamydia includes three species: C. trachomatis, C. muridarum, and C. suis.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is part of the atypical pneumonia subtype which is caused by the bacteria M. pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumonia affects individuals younger than 40. It makes up 15 - 50% of all pneumonia cases in adults and especially in school-aged children. People at great risk for mycoplasma pneumonia comprise of those living or working in busy areas such as schools and homeless shelters, although many people who contract mycoplasma pneumonia have no identifiable risk factor. P1, P30, and P116 of mycoplasma pneumonia membrane proteins have been recognized as adhensive factors, P1 is considered as a main adhension protein of the organism colonization.