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Interleukin-6 Signal Transducer or IL6ST is a receptor, part of the family of class 1 cytokine receptor. IL6ST binds to IL-6 through membrane-anchored or soluble IL-6R starts a connection between another complex of IL6ST and IL-6 , thus forming a homo-dimer and a signal transduction occurs.

The somatomedins, or insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), comprise a family of peptides that takes part in mammalian growth and development. IGF1 mediates various growth-promoting effects of growth hormone (GH; MIM 139250). Early studies showed that growth hormone 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' (Daughaday et al., 1972). 3 main somatomedins have been characterized: somatomedin C (IGF1), somatomedin A (IGF2; MIM 147470), and somatomedin B (MIM 193190) (Rotwein, 1986; Rosenfeld, 2003).

RNH1 belongs to the proteinaceous cytoplasmic RNase inhibitors family which occur in many tissues and binds to both intracellular and extracellular RNases. In addition to control of intracellular RNases, the inhibitor may have a part in the regulation of angiogenin. The 50kDa RNH1 binds to ribonucleases and holds them in a latent form. Since neutral and alkaline ribonucleases possibly play a critical role in the turnover of RNA in eukaryotic cells, RNH1 may be vital for control of mRNA turnover; the interaction of eukaryotic cells with ribonuclease may be reversible in vivo.

A 16-kDa peptide hormone secreted from white adipocytes and implicated in the regulation of food intake and energy balance. Leptin provides the key afferent signal from fat cells in the feedback system that controls body fat stores.

Follistatin is a single-chain gonadal protein that specifically inhibits follicle-stimulating hormone release. The single FST gene encodes two isoforms, FST317 and FST344 containing 317 and 344 amino acids respectively, resulting from alternative splicing of the precursor mRNA. In a study in which 37 candidate genes were tested for linkage and association with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or hyperandrogenemia in 150 families, evidence was found for linkage between PCOS and follistatin. Follistatin functions as an ACTV antagonist. specific inhibitor of the biosynthesis and secretion of pituitary follicle stimulating hormone (fsh).

Inhibins are dimeric peptide hormones produced by female ovarian granulose cells and male Sertoli cells as well as a variety of other tissues. Inhibins have two isoforms, A and B, with the same alpha subunit but different beta subunits. Inhibin A is a dimer of alpha and beta A subunits, inhibin B is a dimer of alpha and beta B subunits.
Inhibins are thought to inhibit the production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) by the pituitary gland. In addition, Inhibins are also thought to play a role in the control of gametogenesis, and embryonic and fetal development.

LDHA catalyzes the conversion of L-lactate and NAD to pyruvate and NADH in the final step of anaerobic glycolysis. LDHA is localized primarily in muscle tissue and is part of the lactate dehydrogenase family. Mutations in LDHA have been linked to exertional myoglobinuria. LDH1 is decreased in essential thrombocythemia. LDHA is induced through a non-genomic pathway of estrogen action. Reduction in LDH-A activity results in stimulation of mitochondrial respiration and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential.

Recombinant Human Sonic Hedgehog is part of a small group of secreted proteins that are vital for development in both vertebrates and invertebrates. 3 mammalian hedgehog genes (sonic, desert, Indian) share about 60% homology. The Human Sonic Hedgehog is 99% homologous to the mouse gene. Sonic HedgeHog is a protein that is vital in guding the early embryo. It has been associated as the major inductive signal in patterning of the ventral neural tube, the anterior-posterior limb axis, and the ventral somites. Sonic HedgeHog binds to the patched receptor, which functions in association with smoothened, to activate the transcription of target genes. In the absence of sonic HedgeHog, patched receptor represses the constitutive signaling activity of smoothened. Sonic HedgeHog also regulates another factor, the gli oncogene. Sonic HedgeHog intercellular signal is essential for a various patterning events during development: signal produced by the notochord that induces ventral cell fate in the neural tube and somites, and the polarizing signal for patterning of the anterior-posterior axis of the developing limb bud. Sonic HedgeHog exhibits both floor plate- and motor neuron-inducing activity. Mutations in a long-range Sonic HedgeHog enhancer located in an intron of the limb region 1 gene result in preaxial polydactyly.

Transcription elongation factor A protein-like 8 (TCEAL8) is a member of the TFS-II family and TFA subfamily. TCEAL8 is involved in transcriptional regulation and localized in nucleus. TFS-II family members contain TFA domains and act as nuclear phosphoproteins which control transcription in a promoter context-dependent mode. Numerous family members are found on the X chromosome.

Cadherin 11 (CDH11) belongs to the cadherin superfamily (integral membrane proteins) which mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. CDH11 is defined based on lacking a HAV cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. CDH11 protein’s expression in osteoblastic cell lines, and its upregulation during differentiation, suggests a specific function in bone development and maintenance. CDH11 contributes to the sorting of heterogeneous cell types.

MED7 is a member of the Mediator complex subunit 7 family. The activation of gene transcription is a multistep course which is initiated by factors which identify transcriptional enhancer sites in DNA and collaborate with co-activators to direct transcriptional initiation by the RNA polymerase II apparatus. The gene encode a subunit of the CRSP (cofactor required for SP1 activation) complex, that, together with TFIID, is needed for effective activation by SP1. Additionally, MED7 is also an element of other multisubunit complexes e.g. thyroid hormone receptor-(TR-) associated proteins that cooperate with TR and enables TR function on DNA templates in conjunction with initiation factors and cofactors.

Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) represents one of the main autoantigenic targets in autoimmune thyroid disease of humans. Its identity with the formerly so-called `microsomal antigen` has been shown several years ago. As an integral membrane glycoprotein it is restricted to the apical plasma membrane of the follicular epithelial cells and comprises two identical subunits of approx. 100 kDa molecular weight. The hemoprotein TPO plays a key role in the thyroid hormone biosynthesis by catalysing both the iodination of tyrosyl residues and the coupling of iodotyrosyl residues in thyroglobulin (TG) to form precursors of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3.

S100A8 is a part of the S100 family of proteins containing 2 EF-hand calcium-binding motifs. S100 proteins are localized in the cytoplasm and/or nucleus of a broad range of cells, and participate in the regulation of cellular processes such as cell cycle progression and differentiation. S100A8 plays a role in the inhibition of casein kinase and as a cytokine. S100A8 altered expression is related with cystic fibrosis disease. S100A8 is a calcium-binding protein that has antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi.S100A8 is crucial for resistance towards invasion by pathogenic bacteria. S100A8 up-regulates transcription of genes that are under the control of NF-kappa-B. S100A8 plays a role in the development of endotoxic shock in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. S100A8 endorses tubulin polymerization and promotes phagocyte migration and infiltration of granulocytes at sites of wounding. S100A8 takes part as a pro-inflammatory mediator in acute and chronic inflammation and up-regulates the release of IL8 and cell-surface expression of ICAM1.

Alpha 1 ACT is an early-stage acute-phase plasma protein and a serpin that preferentially inactivates chymotrypsin, cathepsin G, and chymase. Alpha-1-ACT, a serine protease inhibitor, is tightly associated with amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in normal aged human and monkey brain.
Regulation of the serine proteases and serine protease inhibitors plays an important role in neuromuscular differentiation. Prostate specific antigen (PSA), a chymotrypsin-like serine protease, is predominantly complexed to Alpha-1-ACT.

Endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF) induces proliferation, migration, and fenestration in capillary endothelial cells derived from endocrine glands. Its expression is induced by hypoxia and is restricted to the steroidogenic glands (ovary, testis, adrenal, and placenta). Its expression is often complementary to the expression of VEGF (MIM 192240), suggesting that these molecules function in a coordinated manner. EG-VEGF potently contracts gastrointestinal (gi) smooth muscle. Induces proliferation, migration and fenestration (the formation of membrane discontinuities) in capillary endothelial cells derived from endocrine glands. Has little or no effect on a variety of other endothelial and non-endothelial cell types.

SSR4 is a member of the TRAP-delta family. SSR4 is the delta subunit of the translocon-associated protein complex that participates in translocating proteins through the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. SSR4 positioned in the Xq28 region and organized in a compact head-to-head manner with the isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 (NAD+) gamma gene. Both genes are motivated by a CpG-embedded bidirectional promoter.

The 26S proteasome is a multicatalytic proteinase complex with a well ordered structure composed of two complexes- a 20S core and a 19S regulator. PSMD11 is a non-ATPase subunit of the 19S regulator. The 20S core is composed of four rings of 28 non-identical subunits; two rings are composed of 7 alpha subunits and two rings are composed of 7 beta subunits. The 19S regulator is composed of a base that contains six ATPase subunits and two non-ATPase subunits, and a lid that contains up to ten non-ATPase subunits. Proteasomes are spread throughout eukaryotic cells at a high concentration and cleave peptides in an ATP/ubiquitin-dependent process in a non-lysosomal pathway. An indispensable function of a modified proteasome, the immunoproteasome, is the processing of class I MHC peptides.

VAMP3 is present in recycling endosomes and endosome-derived vesicles. VAMP3 has been implicated in recycling of transferrin receptors to the plasma membrane, secretion of alpha-granules in platelets, recycling of T-cell receptors to the immunological synapses, and membrane trafficking during cell migration. VAMP-3 is present in human platelets and necessary for granule secretion. Synaptobrevins are the main components of a protein complex involved in the docking and/or fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane. VAMP3 high homology to other VAMPs in its broad tissue distribution and subcellular localization is shown to be the human equivalent of the rodent cellubrevin. In platelets the protein resides on a compartment that is not mobilized to the plasma membrane on calcium or thrombin stimulation.

Vaspin (visceral adipose-specific SERPIN) is a newly identified adipokine, which is a member of serine protease inhibitor family. Vaspin is also a unique insulin sensitizing adipocytokine in obesity. A recent publication indicates that induction of human vaspin mRNA expression in adipose tissue is regulated in a fat depot-specific manner and could be associated with parameters of obesity, insulin resistance, and glucose metabolism.

Insulin Receptor (INSR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase which mediates the pleiotropic actions of insulin. Binding of insulin to the insulin receptor (INSR) stimulates glucose uptake. Once the precursor signal peptide is removed, the insulin receptor precursor is post-translationally cleaved into 2 chains (alpha and beta) which are covalently linked. Insulin binding initiates phosphorylation of several intracellular substrates, including, insulin receptor substrates (IRS1, 2, 3, 4), SHC, GAB1, CBL and other signaling intermediates. Each of these phosphorylated proteins function as docking proteins for other signaling proteins which contain Src-homology-2 domains (SH2 domain) that specifically recognize different phosphotyrosines residues, including the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3K and SHP2.

Resistin, a product of the RSTN gene, is a peptide hormone belonging to the class of cysteine-rich secreted proteins (monomeric peptide contains 11 cysteine residues) referred to as the RELM family, and is also described as ADSF (Adipose Tissue-Specific Secretory Factor) or FIZZ3 (Found in Inflammatory Zone 3). Mouse resistin is expressed as a 114 amino acid prepeptide; its hydrofobic Nterminal 20 amino acid signal peptide is cleaved before its secretion. Mouse resistin circulates in blood as a homodimeric protein consisting of two 94 amino acid polypeptides, which are disulfide-linked via Cys26.
Resistin may be an important link between obesity. Mouse resistin, specifically produced and secreted by adipocyte, acts on skeletal muscle myocytes, hepatocytes and adipocytes themselves so that it reduces their sensitivity. Steppan et al. have suggested that resistin suppressed the ability to stimulate glucose uptake. They have also suggested that resistin was present at elevated levels in blood of obese mice, and was down regulated by fasting and by antidiabetic drugs. Way et al., on the other hand, have found that resistin expression is severely suppressed in obesity.
Other studies have shown that mouse resistin increases during the differentiation of adipocytes, but it also seems to inhibit adipogenesis. In contrast, the human adipogenic differentiation is likely to be associated with a down regulation of resistin gene expression.

RANKL binds to tnfrsf11b/opg and to tnfrsf11a/rank. Osteoclast differentiation and activation factor. Augments the ability of dendritic cells to stimulate naive t-cell proliferation. May be an important regulator of interactions between t-cells and dendritic cells and may play a role in the regulation of the t-cell-dependent immune response. sRANKL may also play an important role in enhanced bone-resorption in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy.

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.

Myostatin (GDF-8) is expressed uniquely in human skeletal muscle as a 12 kDa mature glycoprotein consisting of 113 amino acid residues and secreted into plasma. Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor ? superfamily of secreted growth and differentiation factors that is essential for proper regulation of skeletal muscle mass. Studies have shown that myostatin could play an important role in cardiac development and physiology.