Search results

GMCSF is a cytokine that controls the production, differentiation, and function of granulocytes and macrophages. The active form of the protein is found extracellularly as a homodimer. This gene has been localized to a cluster of related genes at chromosome region 5q31, which is known to be associated with interstitial deletions in the 5q- syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia. Other genes in the cluster include those encoding interleukins 4, 5, and 13.
GM-CSF stimulates the growth and differentiation of hematopoietic precursor cells from various lineages, including granulocytes, macrophages, eosinophils and erythrocytes.

Complement factor H (CFH) is an important regulatory component of the alternative pathway of complement. CFH is prevents complement activation on host cells and tissues, mainly the kidney. CFH controls the formation and decay of the alternative pathway C3/C5 convertase and acts as a cofactor for factor I which proteolytically inactivates C3b when C3b is bound to factor H. The N-terminal 5 domains of CFH bind to C3b and inhibit binding of factor B thus reducing the formation of C3/C5 convertase. CFH also binds to preformed C3/C5 convertases and causes quick release of the catalytic subunit Bb. These activities are necessary for controlling the spontaneous activation of the alternative pathway amplification process in plasma. In addition, CFH controls the formation and decay of these enzymes when C3b is attached to the surface of particles.

Borrelia is a part of the genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. Borrelia causes borreliosis, which is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted mostly by ticks and some by lice, depending on the species. Of the 36 known species of Borrelia, 12 are distinguished to cause Lyme disease or borreliosis and are transmitted by ticks. The Gram-negative bacterium Borreliella spielmanii is one of the pathogens of the Borreliella burgdorferi sensu lato complex causing Lyme disease. DbpA, also known as p17 or Osp17, is a heterogeneous protein among the human pathogenic B. burgdorferi sensu lato species.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF R) subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases comprises four members: EGF R (also known as HER1, ErbB1 or ErbB), ErbB2 (Neu, HER-2), ErbB3 (HER-3), and ErbB4 (HER-4). All family members are type I transmembrane glycoprotein that has an extracellular domain which contains two cysteine-rich domains separated by a spacer region that is involved in ligand-binding, and a cytoplasmic domain which has a membrane-proximal tyrosine kinase domain and a C-terminal tail with multiple tyrosine autophosphorylation sites. The human EGF R gene encodes a 1210 amino acid (aa) residue precursor with a 24 aa putative signal peptide, a 621 aa extracellular domain, a 23 aa transmembrane domain, and a 542 aa cytoplasmic domain. EGF R has been shown to bind a subset of the EGF family ligands, including EGF, amphiregulin, TGF-a , betacellulin, epiregulin, heparin-binding EGF and neuregulin-2 in the absence of a co-receptor. Ligand binding induces EGF R homodimerization as well as heterdimerization with ErbB2, resulting in kinase activation, tyrosine phosphorylation and cell signaling. EGF R can also be recruited to form heterodimers with the ligand-activated ErbB3 or ErbB4. EGF R signaling has been shown to regulate multiple biological functions including cell proliferation, differentiation, motility and apoptosis. In addition, EGF R signaling has also been shown to play a role in carcinogenesis.

SDF-1 (stromal cell-derived factor-1) is small cytokine belonging to the chemokine family that is officially designated Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12). It is produced in two forms, SDF-1?/CXCL12a and SDF-1?/CXCL12b, by alternate splicing of the same gene. Chemokines are characterized by the presence of four conserved cysteines, which form two disulfide bonds. The CXCL12 proteins belong to the group of CXC chemokines, whose initial pair of cysteines are separated by one intervening amino acid. CXCL12 is strongly chemotactic for lymphocytes and has been implicated as an important cell co-ordinator during development. During embryogenesis it directs the migration of hematopoietic cells from foetal liver to bone marrow. Mice which were knocked-out for CXCL12 gene were lethal before the birth or within just 1 hour of life. As another role, CXCL12a alters also the electrophysiology of neurons. CXCL12 was shown to be expressend in many tissues in mice (including brain, thymus, heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow).
The receptor for this chemokine is CXCR4, which was previously called fusin. This CXCL12-CXCR4 interaction used to be considered exclusive (unlike for other chemokines and their receptors), but recently it was suggested that CXCL12 is also bound by CXCR7 receptor.
The gene for CXCL12 is located on human chromosome 10. In human and mouse both CXCL12 and CXCR4 show high identity of sequence: 99% and 90%, respectively.

Btc is a potent mitogen for retinal pigment epithelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. The effects of betacellulin are probably mediated by the egf receptor and other related receptors.

HB-EGF is an EGF related growth factor which signals via the EGF receptor, and stimulates the proliferation of SMC (smooth muscle cells), fibroblasts, epithelial cells and keratinocytes. HB-EGF is expressed in various cell types and tissues, including vascular endothelial cells and SMC, macrophages, skeletal muscle, keratinocytes and particular tumor cells. HB-EGF’s ability to explicitly bind HPR sulfate proteoglycans is dissimilar from other EGF-like molecules, and might be related to the enhanced mitogenic activity, relative to EGF, that HB-EGF exerts on smooth muscle cells.

Neuroglobin, 151 amino acid residue protein, mainly expressed in vertebrate brain and retina, is a recently identified member of the globin superfamily. Augmenting O (2) supply, neuroglobin promotes survival of neurons upon hypoxic injury, potentially limiting brain damage. Moreover, neuroglobin may be a novel oxidative stress-responsive sensor for signal transduction in the brain. Neuroglobin expression is increased by neuronal hypoxia in vitro and focal cerebral ischemia in vivo, and neuronal survival after hypoxia is reduced by inhibiting neuroglobin expression with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide and enhanced by neuroglobin overexpression.

BAALC gene is found in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and is conserved among mammals and is not found in lower organisms. Tissues which express BAALC develop from the neuroectoderm. BAALC is located both in the membrane and in the cytoplasma, it exists as multiple alternatively spliced isoform. BAALC is expressed by hematopoetic and neural cells, BAALC interacts with CaMKII? and is involved in synaptic function at postsynaptic lipid rafts. Overexpression of BAALC concomitant forecast adverse clinical outcome and defines a significant risk factor in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Borrelia belongs to 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. Of the 36 known species of Borrelia, 12 are distinguished to cause Lyme disease or borreliosis and are transmitted by ticks. The main Borrelia species causing Lyme disease are Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. The Borrelia genus members have a linear chromosome which is about 900 kbp in length as well as an excess of both linear and circular plasmids in the 5-220 kbp size range. The plasmids are atypical, as compared to most bacterial plasmids, since they contain many paralogous sequences, a large number of pseudogenes and, in some cases, essential genes. Moreover, a number of the plasmids have features suggesting that they are prophages.

KGF is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. FGF family members possess broad mitogenic and cell survival activities, and are involved in a variety of biological processes, including embryonic development, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth and invasion. FGF7 is a potent epithelial cell-specific growth factor, whose mitogenic activity is predominantly exhibited in keratinocytes but not in fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Studies of mouse and rat homologs of this gene implicated roles in morphogenesis of epithelium, reepithelialization of wounds, hair development and early lung organogenesis.

GDNF Family Receptor Alpha 3 (GFRA3) belongs to the GDNF receptor family. GFRA3 creates a signaling receptor complex with RET tyrosine kinase receptor and binds the ligand, artemin (ARTN).

BAK1 is a member of the BCL2 protein family. The BCL2 family members form oligomers or heterodimers and act as anti- or pro-apoptotic regulators which are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities. The BAK1 gene encodes a receptor-like kinase (RLK) with a putative extracellular domain, a single transmembrane domain, an intracellular-juxtamembrane domain, and a kinase domain. BAK1 localizes to mitochondria, and functions to induce apoptosis. BAK1 interacts with and accelerates the opening of the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel, leading to a loss in membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c. Furthermore, BAK1 interacts with the tumor suppressor P53 after exposure to cell stress. BAK1 expression is linked to the progression of Prostate cancer.

Myeloid leukemia factor 1 (MLF1) is a member of the MLF family, and is a widely expressed negative regulator of cell cycle progression functioning upstream of the tumor suppressor p53. MLF1 hinders the erythropoietin-induced erythroid terminal differentiation by averting cells from exiting the cell cycle through suppression of CDKN1B/p27Kip1 levels. MLF1 generally functions in multi-potent progenitor cells, and its dysregulation may be to some extent responsible for leukemogenesis. Translocations between the MLF1 gene and nucleophosmin are linked to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.

Arfaptin 2 (ARFIP2) is a Rac1 binding protein essential for Rac-mediated actin polymerization and the succeeding formation of membrane ruffles and lamellipodia. ARFIP2 is a putative target protein of ADP-ribosylation factor. ARFIP2 is also involved in membrane ruffling. ARFIP2 expression is increased at sites of neurodegeneration. In addition, ARFIP2 interacts with the ADP ribosylation factor ARF6, a GTPase which associates with the plasma membrane and intracellular endosome vesicles, in a GTP dependent mode. Furthermore, Arfaptin 2 controls the aggregation of mutant Huntingtin protein by weakening proteasome function.

BAIAP2 is a ubiquitous regulator of the actin cytoskeleton. Controled by the Rho-family GTPases BAIAP2 facilitates filopodia development. BAIAP2 is expressed in the cytoplasm and binds small membrane-bound G-proteins to cytoplasmic effector proteins. BAIAP2 was identified as interacting with the dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy gene, which is related to an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein(C/EBP) g is a family of transcription factors all contain a highly conserved, basic-leucine zipper domain at the C-terminus that is involved in dimerization and DNA binding. C/EBP family of transcription factors regulates viral and cellular CCAAT/enhancer element-mediated transcription. C/EBP family consist of several related proteins, C/EBP a,b,g,d, that form homodimers and/or form heterodimers with each other. C/EBP proteins contain the bZIP region, which is characterized by two motifs in the C-terminal half of the protein; a basic region involved in DNA binding and a leucine zipper motif involved in dimerization. C/EBP g may cooperate with Fos to bind PRE- enhancer elements.

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/macrophage migration, 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 mitogenesis and 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 is linked to POEMS syndrome, also known as Crow-Fukase syndrome. Mutations in this gene have been associated with proliferative and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Babesiosis is a disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the Babesia genus. The Babesia microti life cycle involves 2 hosts, which include a rodent, mainly the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and a tick in the Ixodes genus. During a blood meal, a Babesia-infected tick introduces sporozoites into the mouse host. Sporozoites pass into the erythrocytes and undergo asexual reproduction (budding). In the blood, some parasites differentiate into male and female gametes, though these cannot be distinguished by light microscopy. The definitive host is the tick. Once ingested by an proper tick, gametes unite and undergo a sporogonic cycle resulting in sporozoites. Transovarial transmission (aka vertical or hereditary transmission) has been detected for "large" Babesia species but not for the "small" Babesia, such as B. microti. Humans enter the cycle when bitten by the infected ticks. Thus during a blood meal, a Babesia-infected tick introduces sporozoites into the human host. Sporozoites then enter erythrocytes and undergo asexual replication (budding). Multiplication of the blood-stage parasites is responsible for the clinical manifestations of the disease. Humans typically are dead-end hosts. However, human-to-human transmission is well acknowledged to occur via contaminated blood transfusions.

Epidermal growth factor has a profound effect on the differentiation of specific cells in vivo and is a potent mitogenic factor for a variety of cultured cells of both ectodermal and mesodermal origin. The EGF precursor is believed to exist as a membrane-bound molecule which is proteolytically cleaved to generate the 53-amino acid peptide hormone that stimulates cells to divide.
EGF stimulates the growth of various epidermal and epithelial tissues in vivo and in vitro and of some fibroblasts in cell culture.

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.It has recently been shown that SARS is caused by a human coronavirus. Human coronaviruses are the major cause of upper respiratory tract illness in humans, such as the common cold. Coronaviruses are positive-stranded RNA viruses, featuring the largest viral RNA genomes known to date (27-31 kb). The first step in coronavirus infection is binding of the viral spike protein, a 139-kDa protein, to certain receptors on host cells. The spike protein is the main surface antigen of the coronavirus. The most prominent protein in the culture supernatants infected with SARS virus is a 46 kDa nucleocapsid protein. This suggests that the nucleocapsid protein is a major immunogen that may be useful for early diagnostics.

NELFE is a vital component of NELF complex which represses RNA polymerase II transcript elongation. NELFE is similar to nuclear RNA-binding proteins but does not bind RNA. NELFE contains a tract of alternating basic and acidic residues, mainly arginine and aspartic acid.

Arylsulfatase A (ARSA) hydrolyzes cerebrosidesulfate to cerebroside and sulfate. ARSA is inhibited by phosphate. The phosphate develops a covalent bond with the active site 3-oxoalanine. ARSA gene defects cause metachromatic leucodystrophy (MLD), a progressive demyelination disease which results in various neurological symptoms and ultimately death.