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C1QTNF6 is a collagen type-IV specific for basement membranes. C1QTNF6 is vital for embryonic development.

Excess adiposity is the most important risk in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Adipose tissue produces several proteins (adipocytokines) such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor-a, and IL-6, that modulate sensitivity and appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis, diabetes, dyslipidemia, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. 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 mimetic effects that are dose-dependent and quantitatively similar to 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 mimetic effects, visfatin was as effective in reducing hyperglycemia in deficient diabetic mice. Visfatin was also found to be bound to and activate receptor, causing receptor phosphorylation and the activation of downstream signaling molecules. However, visfatin did not compete for binding to the 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.

CD30 Ligand (TNFSF8) is a cytokine which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. The TNFSF8 cytokine is a ligand for TNFRSF8/CD30, which is a cell surface antigen and a marker for Hodgkin lymphoma and related hematologic malignancies. The employment of the TNFSF8 cytokine expressed on B cell surface has an inhibitory role in modulating Ig class switch. TNFSF8 enhances cell proliferation of some lymphoma cell lines, while inducing cell death and reducing cell proliferation of other lymphoma cell lines. The pleiotropic biological activities of the TNFSF8 cytokine on different CD30+ lymphoma cell lines has a pathophysiologic role in Hodgkin's and some non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

The somatomedins, IGFs, comprise a family of peptides that play important roles in mammalian growth and development. IGF1 mediates many of the growth-promoting effects of GH. Early studies showed that GH did not directly stimulate the incorporation of sulfate into cartilage, but rather acted through a serum factor, termed 'sulfation factor,' which later became known as 'somatomedin. Three main somatomedins have been characterized: somatomedin C (IGF1), somatomedin A (IGF2; MIM 147470), and somatomedin B.

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.

Thyroglobulin (TG) represents one of the main autoantigenic targets in autoimmune thyroid disease of humans. TG is a large globular dimeric glycoprotein with a total molecular weight of 660 kDa, which occupies a key precursor role in the biosynthesis of the thyroid hormones. Approximately 75% of the total protein content of the thyroid follicle consists of TG. The thyroid gland uses the Thyroglobulin in order to produce the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroglobulin is produced by the thyroid epithelial cells (thyrocytes) which form spherical follicles. Thyroglobulin is subsequently secreted and stored in the follicular lumen.
Patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease, frequently develop antibodies against Thyroglobulin. Tg-specific antibodies help in the diagnosis of the above diseases, however they also may be present in apparently healthy euthyroid individuals. Blood Thyroglobulin levels can be used as a tumor marker for certain kinds of thyroid cancer, and the may also be elevated in cases of Graves' disease.

Cardiotrophin 1 (CT-1) is a 201 amino acid member of the interleukin-6 superfamily. It was identified by its ability to induce hypertrophic response in cardiac myocytes. CT-1 mRNA levels were found both in cardiac myocytes and in cardiac nonmyocytes. CT 1 was also detected in abundance in normal adult human lung and was expressed in both fetal and adult airway smooth muscle cells. CT 1 activates gp130 dependent signaling and stimulates the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway to transduce hypertrophic and cytoprotective signals in cardiac myocytes.
CT 1 has also a neurotrophic function. CTF1 deficiency causes increased motoneuron cell death in spinal cord and brainstem nuclei of mice during a period between embryonic day 14 and the first postnatal week. Moreover, CT-1 is a hepatocyte survival factor that efficiently reduces hepatocellular damage in animal models of acute liver injury. Cardiotrophin 1 expression is augmented after hypoxic stimulation and it can protect cardiac cells when added either prior to simulated ischaemia or at the time of reoxygenation following simulated ischaemia. Cardiotrophin 1 can induce expression of the protective heat shock proteins (hsps) in cardiac cells.
Cardiotrophin-1 increased ventricular expression of ANP, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and angiotensinogen mRNA.
Cardiophin 1 levels were significantly elevated in patients with heart failure, patients with dilatative cardiomyopathy, moderate/severe mitral regurgitation, stable and unstable angina and after acute myocardial infarction.

Vascular endothelial growth factor is an important signaling protein involved in both vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. As its name implies, VEGF activity has been mostly studied on cells of the vascular endothelium, although it does have effects on a number of other cell types (e.g. stimulation monocyte/ macrophagemigration, neurons, cancer cells, kidney epithelial cells ).VEGF mediates increased vascular permeability, induces angiogenesis, vasculogenesis and endothelial cell growth, promotes cell migration, and inhibits apoptosis. In vitro, VEGF has been shown to stimulate endothelial cell mitogenesisand cell migration. VEGF is also a vasodilator and increases microvascular permeability and was originally referred to as vascular permeability factor.Elevated levels of this protein are linked to POEMS syndrome, also known as Crow-Fukase syndrome. Mutations in this gene have been associated with proliferative and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy.

CD163 is an acute phase-regulated receptor which participates in the removal and endocytosis of hemoglobin/haptoglobin complexes by macrophages and thus keeps tissues from free hemoglobin-mediated oxidative damage. Furthermore, CD163 partakes in the uptake and recycling of iron, through endocytosis of hemoglobin/haptoglobin and ensuing breakdown of heme. In addition, CD163 binds hemoglobin/haptoglobin complexes in a calcium-dependent and pH-dependent way. CD163 demonstrates greater affinity for complexes of hemoglobin and multimeric haptoglobin of HP-1F phenotype than for complexes of hemoglobin and dimeric haptoglobin of HP-1S phenotype. Moreover, CD163 stimulates a cascade of intracellular signals which involves tyrosine kinase-dependent calcium recruitment, inositol triphosphate formation and secretion of IL-6 & CSF-1.

PLAUR is one of 2 activators which convert the extracellular zymogen plasminogen to plasmin, a serine protease involved in a various normal and pathological processes that require cell migration and/or tissue destruction. PLAUR protein is synthesized and released from cells as a single-chain proenzyme with narrow enzymatic activity and is converted to an active two-chain disulfide-linked active enzyme by plasmin and other specific proteinases.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha factor (LITAF) is a small integral membrane protein of lysosome/late endosome. The expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha in Lipopolysaccharide-induced processes is mediated by LITAF. LITAF connects to STAT6B, which belongs to the STAT6 family forming a complex on the TNF-alpha promoter that modifies TNF activity. High levels of expression of LITAF mRNA are observed mostly in the placenta, peripheral blood leukocytes, lymph nodes and spleen.

Complement C1q Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Protein 5 (C1QTNF5) encodes a short-chain collagen which is expressed mainly in sub-retinal pigment epithelium, ciliary epithelium and adipose tissue. C1QTNF5 is increased in mtDNA-depleted myocytes and stimulates the phosphorylation of AMP activated protein kinase. C1QTNF5 takespart in the adhesion of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to the Bruch Membrane. Mutations in C1QTNF5 have been associated with late-onset retinal degeneration.

Transcription Elongation Factor A (SII)-Like 7 (TCEAL7) has a role in the negative regulation of NF-kappa-B signaling at the basal level by controlling transcriptional activity of NF-kappa-B on its target gene promoters. TCEAL7 links with cyclin D1 promoter containing Myc E-box sequence and transcriptionally inhibits cyclin D1 expression. TCEAL7 regulates telomerase reverse transcriptase expression and telomerase activity in both alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) and telomerase-positive cell lines. TCEAL7 is highly expressed in normal and fetal brain tissues, and weakly expressed in the uterus and ovary. TCEAL7 is down-regulated in epithelial ovarian, cervical, prostate, breast, brain and lung cancer cell lines and in the brain and ovarian tumors.

Glutamyl-TRNA Amidotransferase, Subunit C also known as GATC allows the formation of properly charged Gln-tRNA(Gln) through the transamidation of misacylated Glu-tRNA(Gln) in the mitochondria. The reaction occurs in the attendance of glutamine and ATP through an activated gamma-phospho-Glu-tRNA(Gln). In addition, GATC is subunit of the heterotrimeric GatCAB amidotransferase (AdT) complex, composed of A (QRSL1), B (PET112) and C (GATC) subunits.

GCSF is a cytokine that controls the production, differentiation, and function of granulocytes. The active protein is found extracellularly. 3 transcript variants encoding 3 different isoforms have been found for the GCSF gene. Granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factors are cytokines that take part in hematopoiesis by controlling the production, differentiation, and function of 2 related white cell populations of the blood, the granulocytes and the monocytes-macrophages. This csf induces granulocytes.

OXSM, a beta-ketoacyl synthetase, is essential for elongation of fatty acid chains in the mitochondria. Alternatively spliced transcript variants were found.

PDGF-BB is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor family. The four members of this family are mitogenic factors for cells of mesenchymal origin and are characterized by a motif of eight cysteines. This gene product can exist either as a homodimer (PDGF-BB) or as a heterodimer with the platelet-derived growth factor alpha polypeptide (PDGF-AB), where the dimers are connected by disulfide bonds. Mutations in this gene are associated with meningioma. Reciprocal translocations between chromosomes 22 and 7, at sites where this gene and that for COL1A1 are located, are associated with a particular type of skin tumor called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans resulting from unregulated expression of growth factor. Two splice variants have been identified for this gene.

TNFR2 belongs to the TNF-receptor superfamily. TNFR2 is receptor with high affinity for TNFSF2/TNF-alpha and approximately 5-fold lower affinity for homotrimeric TNFSF1/lymphotoxin-alpha. TNFR2 mediates the majority of the metabolic effects of TNF-alpha. In addition, knockout studies in mice propose a role for TNFR2 in protecting neurons from apoptosis by stimulating antioxidative pathways. TNFR2 expression might have a significant role in the angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation and metastasis of Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast.
There are 2 types of soluble TNF receptors: sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II, which act to neutralize the biological activities of TNF alpha and TNF beta. The levels of these soluble receptors seem to increase as a result of shedding of the extracellular domains of the membrane bound receptors. High levels of soluble TNF receptors are found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women. TNFR2 and TNFR1 form a heterocomplex which mediates the recruitment of 2 anti-apoptotic proteins, c-IAP1 and c-IAP2, which possess E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. IAPs’ function in TNF-receptor signaling is unknown; nevertheless, c-IAP1 is believed to potentiate TNF-induced apoptosis by the ubiquitination and degradation of TNF-receptor-associated factor 2, which mediates anti-apoptotic signals. Oxidative stress promotes TNFR1 and TNFR2 self-interaction, ligand-independent and enhanced ligand-dependent TNF signaling. TNF-a, TNFR1 and TNFR2 have roles in cellular differentiation. TNFR1 and TNFR2 function in cell type-specific renal injury.

Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factors are cytokines that act in hematopoiesis by controlling the production, differentiation, and function of 2 related white cell populations of the blood, the granulocytes and the monocytes-macrophages. CSF-1 induces cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. It plays a role in immunological defenses, bone metabolism, lipoproteins clearance, fertility and pregnancy.

The term ‘PDGF’ refers to a family of disulphide bond-linked dimeric isoforms that act as autocrine and paracrine growth factors and are produced by a variety of cell types other than platelets.
They act as potent mitogens for almost all mesenchymally-derived cells. Aberrant expression is involved in certain cancers, fibroproliferative disorders and atherosclerosis. The protein also contributes to wound healing and neural regeneration. There are four members of the PDGF family – PDGF A, PDGF B, PDGF C and PDGF D. Two distinct types of PDGF-A exist – a short form that is soluble and a long form that is retained by the extracellular matrix.

C1QTNF7 is a collagen type-IV specific for basement membranes.