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PECR is the main enzyme for a projected peroxisomal chain elongation pathway and is primarily expressed in kidney and liver.

Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) was first characterized as a growth factor that supports the in-vitro colony formation of granulocytes-macrophages progenitor cells. It is a pleiotropic cytokine and a member of a family of endogenous cytokines of the hematopoietic system. GM-CSF is produced as a response to immune or inflammatory stimuli by activated cells of the hematopoietic system such as T cells, B cells, macrophages, mast cells and also fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial cells. It plays an important role in regulating the proliferation, differentiation, survival and activation of hematopoietic cells such as granulocytes and monocytes ,neutrophiles, basophiles and eosonophoiles, erythroid cells, megakaryocytes and T cells.
Human and mouse GM-CSF have about 56% homology and are species specific. Human GM-CSF is not active on mouse cells and vice versa. It is active on canine and feline cells.
GMCSF is 144 amino acids, 22kDa glycoprotein. It is composed of four bundles alpha helices. Its receptor is heterodimers with a ligand-specific alpha subunit and a betac subunit that is shared with the interleukin IL-3 and IL-5 receptors. This unusual form of receptor assembly likely applies also to IL-3 and IL-5 receptors. Cross-linking the two receptor subunits is required for receptor activation and signaling .
GMCSF has been shown to be involved in maturation, mobilization and antigen presentation of myeloid dentritic cells (DCs) in-vivo or ex-vivo. This function promotes Th1 immune responses, cytotoxcity, anti-angiogenesis as well as allergic inflammation, and the development of autoimmunity. Therefore GMCSF can be used in immunotherapy for the treatment of immune suppressed and immune-compromised patients as well as in veterinary medicine for the same purpose. GM-CSF is also important in regulation of embryo development and pregnancy and specifically in embryo implantation and subsequent development .

Recoverin is a member of the recoverin family of neuronal calcium sensors. Recoverin is a heterogeneously acylated calcium-binding and intracellular signal transduction 23kDa protein in the photoreceptor cells of retina. Recoverin contains four EF-hands, of which two bind Ca. Ca-induced extrusion of the acyl group from a hydrophobic cleft in the protein drives the translocation of recoverin from solution to the disc membrane. Recoverin may prolong the termination of the phototransduction cascade in the retina by blocking the phosphorylation of photo-activated rhodopsin. Recoverin plays a key role in the inhibition of rhodopsin kinase, a molecule that regulates the phosphorylation of rhodopsin. This in due course controls the ability of the eye to adapt to, and recover from, exposure to the presence of light. Recoverin is a detectable serologic protein that is expressed in patients with cancer-associated retinopathy, a paraneoplastic syndrome.

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.

EFNA3 belongs to the ephrin (EPH) family. The ephrins and EPH-related receptors include thelargest subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases which have been implicated in mediating developmental events, especially in the nervous system and in erythropoiesis. Ephrins are divided into the ephrin-A (EFNA) class and the ephrin-B (EFNB) class, based on their structures and sequence relationships. The Ephrins from the EFNA class are anchored to the membrane by aglycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage, while the others from the EFNB class are transmembrane proteins.

EFNA3 belongs to the ephrin (EPH) family. The ephrins and EPH-related receptors include thelargest subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases which have been implicated in mediating developmental events, especially in the nervous system and in erythropoiesis. Ephrins are divided into the ephrin-A (EFNA) class and the ephrin-B (EFNB) class, based on their structures and sequence relationships. The Ephrins from the EFNA class are anchored to the membrane by aglycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage, while the others from the EFNB class are transmembrane proteins.

CNTF is a polypeptide hormone whose actions appear to be restricted to the nervous system where it promotes neurotransmitter synthesis and neurite outgrowth in certain neuronal populations. The protein is a potent survival factor for neurons and oligodendrocytes and may be relevant in reducing tissue destruction during inflammatory attacks. A mutation in this gene, which results in aberrant splicing, leads to ciliary neurotrophic factor deficiency, but this phenotype is not causally related to neurologic disease. In addition to the predominant monocistronic transcript originating from this locus, the gene is also co-transcribed with the upstream ZFP91 gene. Co-transcription from the two loci results in a transcript that contains a complete coding region for the zinc finger protein but lacks a complete coding region for ciliary neurotrophic factor.
CNTF is a survival factor for various neuronal cell types. Seems to prevent the degeneration of motor axons after axotomy.

Complement Factor Properdin (CFP) which is a plasma glycoprotein, is a positive regulator of the alternative complement pathway of the innate immune system. CFP binds and stabilizes the C3- and C5-convertase enzyme complexes in a feedback loop that eventually ends with formation of the membrane attack complex and lysis of the target cell. Mutations in CFP lead to 2 forms of properdin deficiency that cause high susceptibility to meningococcal infections.

Fibroblast Growth Factor-19 (FGF-19) is a member of the FGF family. FGF-19 interacts with FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4. T FGF-19 takes part in the suppression of bile acid biosynthesis through downregulation of CYP7A1 expression, following positive regulation of the JNK and EPK1/2 cascades. FGF-19 stimulates glucose uptake in adiposytes and is a high affinity, heparin dependent ligand for FGFR4.

Egl Nine Homolog 3 (EGLN3) belongs to the EGLN family of prolyl hydroxylases. EGLN3 catalyzes hydroxylation of the ? subunit of hypoxia-inducible factor-?, which targets hypoxia-inducible factor-? for ubiquitination by a ubiquitin ligase complex containing the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor. EGLN3 is the most significant isozyme in limiting physiological activation of HIFs (especially HIF2A) in hypoxia. EGLN3 is activated in cardiovascular cells and Hela cells after exposure to hypoxia. In addition, EGLN3 hydroxylates PKM2 in hypoxia, thus limiting glycolysis. Under normoxia, EGLN3 hydroxylates and regulates the stability of ADRB2. EGLN3 is inhibited by polynitrogen compounds possibly by chelation to Fe2+ ions.

SF20 plays a role in proliferation of lymphoid cells and is considered an interleukin. SF20 was initially identified as a product of bone marrow-derived stromal cells.

Pyruvate kinase is a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. The M2 isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase is specifically expressed at high levels in tumor cells, and can be measured in plasma of patients with advanced breast cancer. The marker is useful for measuring disease activity, sensitivity to chemotherapy and recurrence.

COAA is a member of the prokaryotic pantothenate kinase family and it is the first enzyme in the Coenzyme A biosynthetic pathway. COAA phosphorylates pantothenate (vitamin B5) to form 4'-phosphopantothenate. The key factor controlling the intracellular CoA concentration is the regulation of COAA activity by feedback inhibition.

Cleavage stimulation factor subunit 1 (CSTF1) is involved in the polyadenylation and 3'end cleavage of pre-mRNAs. The CSTF1 gene encodes one of three subunits which merge to produce cleavage stimulation factor (CSTF). Like the mammalian G protein beta subunits, CSTF1 contains transducin-like repeats. CSTF1 is one of the numerous factors necessary for polyadenylation and 3'-end cleavage of mammalian pre-mRNAs. CSTF1 is responsible for the interaction of CSTF with other factors to create a stable complex on the pre-mRNA.

Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family that was previously called GRO1 oncogene, Neutrophil-activating protein 3 (NAP-3) and melanoma growth stimulating activity, alpha (MSGA-a). It is secreted by human melanoma cells, has mitogenic properties and is implicated in melanoma pathogenesis. CXCL1 is expressed by macrophages, neutrophils and epithelial cells, and has neutrophil chemoattractant activity. CXCL1 plays a role in spinal cord development by inhibiting the migration of oligodendrocyte precursors and is involved in the processes of angiogenesis, inflammation, wound healing, and tumorigenesis. This chemokine elicits its effects by signaling through the chemokine receptor CXCR2. The gene for CXCL1 is located on human chromosome 4 amongst genes for other CXC chemokines.

Transforming growth factor betas (TGFBetas) mediate many cell-cell interactions that occur during embryonic development. Three TGFBetas have been identified in mammals. TGFBeta1, TGFBeta2 and TGFBeta3 are each synthesized as precursor proteins that are very similar in that each is cleaved to yield a 112 amino acid polypeptide that remains associated with the latent portion of the molecule.
TGF-b 1 regulates the actions of numerous other growth factors involved in a variety of human diseases including renal disease, hepatic disease, heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

Connective Tissue Growth Factor belongs to the CCN family of proteins. The CCN family presently consists of six members in human also known as: Cyr61 (Cystein rich 61), CTGF (Connective Tissue Growth Factor), Nov (Nephroblastoma Overexpressed gene), WISP-1, 2 and 3 (Wnt-1 Induced Secreted Proteins). The CCN genes encode secreted proteins associated with the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and cell membrane. CCN proteins are matricellular proteins which are involved in the regulation of various cellular functions including: proliferation, differentiation, survival, adhesion and migration. They are expressed in derivatives of the three embryonic sheets and are implicated in the development of kidney, nervous system, muscle, bone marrow, cartilage and bone. During adulthood, they are implicated in wound healing, bone fracture repair, and pathologies such as: fibrosis, vascular ailments and tumorigenesis.
Full length secreted CCN proteins can show an antiproliferative activity, whereas truncated isoforms are likely to stimulate proliferation and behave as oncogenes. The full length protein consists of four modulesModule I shares partial identity with the N-terminal part of the Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins (IGFBPs).
Module II includes a stretch of 70amino acid residues – which shares sequence identity with the Von Willebrand Factor Type C repeat (VWC).
Module III contains sequences sharing identity with the Thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSP1) (WSXCSXXCG), which is thought to be implicated in the binding of sulfated glycoconjugates and to be important for cell adhesion. Module IV, also designated CT, is encoded by exon5. It is the leasts conserved one of the four domains at the level of nucleotide sequence, but it appears to be critical for several of the biological functions attributed to the CCN proteins. Module IV resembles the CT domain of several extracellular protein including, Von Willebrand's factor and mucins. Sequence similarities to heparin-binding motifs are also found within this domain.
Proteolysis of the secreted full-length CCN proteins that has been reported in the case of CCN2 and CCN3 might result in the production of CCN-derived peptides with high affinity for ligands that full-length CNN proteins bind only poorly. Amino-truncated CCN2 isoforms were biologically active whereas no specific biological activity has been attributed to the truncated CCN3. Although the molecular processes underlying the production of these secreted isoforms is presently unknown, it is important to note that proteolysis occur at the same amino acid residues in both CCN2 and CCN3. An elevated expression of CCN2 has also been detected by Northern blotting in human invasive mammary ductal carcinomas, dermatofibromas, pyogenic granuloma, endothelial cells of angiolipomas and angioleiomyomas, and in pancreatic tumors. A study performed with chondrosarcomas representative of various histological grades established that CCN2 expression was closely correlated with increasing levels of malignancy. In agreement with CCN2 playing a role in brain tumor angiogenesis, immunocytochemistry studies indicated that both glioblastoma tumor cells and proliferating endothelial cells stained positive for CCN2. In astrocytomas, CCN2 expression was particularly elevated in high grade tumors, with a marked effect of CCN2 on cell proliferation. Downregulation of CCN2 expression in these cells was associated with a growth arrest at the G1/S transition while over-expression of CCN2 induced a two-fold increase of the number of cells in the G1 phase. Gene profiling analysis allowed to identify a set of about 50 genes whose expression might account for the proliferative activity of CCN2 in these cells. CCN2 was seen in a higher proportion of mononuclear cells of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BLVRB (EC 1.3.1.24) catalyzes electron transfer from reduced pyridine nucleotides to flavins as well as methylene blue, pyrroloquinoline quinone, riboflavin, or methemoglobin. BLVRB is involved in protecting cells from oxidative damage or in regulating iron metabolism. BLVRB converts biliverdin to bilirubin in the liver, converting a double-bond between the second and third pyrrole ring into a single-bond. BLVRB plays a role as in human erythrocytic heme catabolic pathway and most mammalian species. Biliverdin reductase is abundantly expressed in kidney, spleen, liver and brain as well as at lower levels in the thymus and minimal levels being detected in testis.

Cleavage And Polyadenylation Specific Factor 4 (CPSF4) is a member of the CPSF4/YTH1 family. CPSF4 complex plays a vital role in pre-mRNA 3'-end formation, distinguishing the AAUAAA signal sequence and interacting with poly(A) polymerase and further factors to bring about cleavage and poly(A) additive. CPSF4 binds RNA polymers with a preference for poly(U).

PTX3 is part of the pentraxin family sharing the C-terminal domain with short pentraxins and containing a unique N-terminal domain. PTX3 is produced and released at inflammatory sites by various cell types including monocytes/macrophages, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and adipocytes. PTX3 is involved in the regulation of innate resistance to pathogens, inflammatory reactions, possibly clearance of self-components and female fertility. PTX3 is used as a marker for disease activity of psoriasis. High serum PTX3 levels are associated with the disease severity of systemic sclerosis. Elevated serum PTX3 is associated with pulmonary fungal infections.

Stem cell factor / KIT ligand (SCF) is a cytokine which binds CD117 (c-Kit). SCF is also known as "steel factor" or "c-kit ligand". SCF exists in two forms, cell surface bound SCF and soluble (or free) SCF. Soluble SCF is produced by the cleavage of surface bound SCF by metalloproteases.
SCF is a growth factor important for the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and other hematopoietic progenitor cells. One of its roles is to change the BFU-E (burst-forming unit-erythroid) cells, which are the earliest erythrocyte precursors in the erythrocytic series, into the CFU-E (colony-forming unit-erythroid).

Cell Growth Regulator with EF-Hand Domain 1, also known as CGREF1 is a secreted calcium ion binding protein. CGREF1 includes two EF-hand domains & both EF-hands are essential for function. CGREF1 is most likely digested extracellularly by an unfamiliar serine protease generating extremely hydrophobic bioactive peptides. CGREF1 mediates cell-cell adhesion in a calcium-dependent manner. In addition, CGREF1 is capable to inhibit growth in more than a few cell lines.

GDNF promotes the survival and differentiation of neurons in culture, and is able to prevent apoptosis of motor neurons induced by axotomy. The encoded protein is processed to a mature secreted form that exists as a homodimer. The mature form of the protein is a ligand for the product of the RET (rearranged during transfection) protooncogene. In addition to the transcript encoding GDNF, two additional alternative transcripts encoding distinct proteins, referred to as astrocyte-derived trophic factors, have also been described. Mutations in this gene may be associated with Hirschsprung disease.
GDNF enhances survival and morphological differentiation of neurons and increases their high-affinity uptake.

PAPPA is a large zinc binding protein, which plays a role as a metalloprotease and specifically cleaves IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5, resulting in release of bound IGF. PAPP-A regulates IGF bioactivity in various biological systems, including the human ovary and cardiovascular systems. PAPP A levels were higher in patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction. PAPPA is also involved in local proliferative processes such as wound healing and bone remodeling. Moreover, PAPP-A is produced in high concentrations during pregnancy and is released into the maternal circulation. In placenta, PAPP A is expressed in X cells in septa and anchoring villi, and in syncytiotrophoblasts in the chorionic villi.