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Ankyrin Repeat Family A2, also known as ANKRA2 contains 5 ANK repeats. ANKRA2 assist endocytosis by linking megalin to components of the cytoskeleton or endocytic machinery.

The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a family of secreted signaling molecules that can induce ectopic bone growth. Many BMPs are part of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFB) superfamily. BMPs were originally identified by an ability of demineralized bone extract to induce endochondral osteogenesis in vivo in an extraskeletal site. Based on its expression early in embryogenesis, the BMP encoded by this gene has a proposed role in early development. In addition, the fact that this BMP is closely related to BMP5 and BMP7 has lead to speculation of possible bone inductive activity.

Platelet factor-4 is a 70-amino acid protein that is released from the alpha-granules of activated platelets.PF4’s major physiologic role appears to be neutralization of molecules on the endothelial surface of blood vessels, thereby inhibiting local antithrombin III activity and promoting coagulation. As a strong chemoattractant for neutrophils and fibroblasts, PF4 probably has a role in inflammation and wound repair. Oncostatin-A is a member of the CXC chemokine family. Furthermore, it is used as an inhibitor in the angiogenesis during tumor therapy.

PI3 is an elastase-specific protease inhibitor, which contains a WAP-type four-disulfide core (WFDC) domain, and is thus a member of the WFDC domain family. Most WFDC gene members are localized to chromosome 20q12-q13 in two clusters: centromeric and telomeric. PI3 belongs to the centromeric cluster.

MCL1 is a member of the Bcl-2 family. MCL1 takes part in the control of apoptosis against cell existence, and in the preservation of viability but not of proliferation. Alternative splicing happens at this locus and two transcript variants encoding different isoforms are known. Isoform 1 is the longer gene product and it increases cell existence by inhibiting apoptosis. Isoform 2 is a shorter gene product which indorses apoptosis and is death-inducing.

Adiponectin is a hormone exclusively expressed from adipose tissue. Many studies demonstrate that adiponectin has direct anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory functions. APM-1 can increase insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle, attenuate hepatic lipogenesis and luconeogenesis, regulate NO production in endothelial cells, inhibit proliferation of smooth muscle cells and prevent lipid accumulation of macrophage cells.
In the circulation, adiponectin is present as three different oligomeric complexes, including the high molecular weight (HMW), the middle molecular weight (MMW, also called hexamer) and low molecular weigh (MMW, also called trimer) forms 8. Different oligomeric complex of adiponectin activates different signaling pathways and exerts distinct functions.

PTHrP is a powerful and discriminating agonist of PTH2R which takes part in adenyl cyclase activation and intracellular calcium levels elevation. PTHrP encourages protein kinase C beta activation, recruitment of beta-arrestin and PTH2R internalization. Additionally, PTHrP inhibits cell proliferation through its contribution to PTH2R activation, activates nociceptors and nociceptive circuits and acts as a neuropeptide in spermatogenesis.

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.

Prealbumin is a thyroid hormone-binding protein that transports thyroxine from the bloodstream to the brain. Prealbumin is a carrier protein which transports thyroid hormones in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, and also transports retinol (vitamin A) in the plasma. Transthyretin consists of a tetramer of identical subunits and is dominantly produced in the liver. Mutations in Prealbumin are related to amyloid deposition, affecting predominantly peripheral nerve and/or the heart. The diseases caused by mutations include amyloidotic polyneuropathy, euthyroid hyperthyroxinaemia, amyloidotic vitreous opacities, cardiomyopathy, oculoleptomeningeal amyloidosis, meningocerebrovascular amyloidosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Prealbumin is an indicator of protein-energy malnutrition since it has a circulating half life of 2 days and reacts swiftly to changes in nutritional status.

IL11 is a member of the gp130 family of cytokines. These cytokines drive the assembly of multisubunit receptor complexes, all of which contain at least one molecule of the transmembrane signaling receptor IL6ST (gp130). IL-11 is shown to stimulate the T-cell-dependent development of immunoglobulin-producing B cells. It is also found to support the proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and megakaryocyte progenitor cells.

Active IL-12 is a p70 disulphide-linked dimer composed of p35 and p40 subunits. The protein is a pleiotropic cytokine produced primarily by antigen presenting cells and has multiple effects on T lymphocytes and natural killer cells in terms of stimulating cytotoxicity, proliferation, production of other cytokines and Th1 subset differentiation.

IL13 is an immunoregulatory cytokine produced primarily by activated Th2 cells. IL-13 is involved in several stages of B-cell maturation and differentiation. It up-regulates CD23 and MHC class II expression, and promotes IgE isotype switching of B cells. This cytokine down-regulates macrophage activity, thereby inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. This cytokine is found to be critical to the pathogenesis of allergen-induced asthma but operates through mechanisms independent of IgE and eosinophils. This gene, IL3, IL5, IL4, and CSF2 form a cytokine gene cluster on chromosome 5q, with this gene particularly close to IL4.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein present in fetal digestive-tract tissues; it’s involved in cell adhesion. The production of CEA stops before birth. CEA is called tumor marker since its elevated levels are found in the serum from individuals with colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, lung and breast carcinomas and in heavy smokers.
There are also benign conditions that elevate CEA levels such as smoking, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and some benign tumors (in the equivalent organs which have cancers with elevated CEA). Typically, higher levels of CEA are found in men, smokers, and older individuals.
The presence of CEA assists in screening, in evaluating recurrent or disseminated disease, and in determining the success of surgical removal of malignant tumors.
CEA levels can be used as indicators of treatment success. The normal values range from 0.0 to 2.5 ng/ml of serum (from blood), in non-smokers, a greater amount than that may be suggestive of cancer. Levels above 20 ng/ml before treatment are associated with cancer which has already metastasized. Benign conditions do not usually cause a CEA increase over 10 ng/ml.
The high levels of CEA should return to normal after successful therapy, however if during follow up there’s an elevation in CEA levels it indicates a recurrence of tumor.
Carcinoembryonic antigen family belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily; it consists of 29 genes, 18 of which are normally expressed.

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.

CAPSL is a calcium-binding protein holding two conserved calcium-binding motifs (EF-hands) which are found in a superfamily of calcium sensors and calcium signal modulators. In addition, the CAPSL gene is in the same linkage disequilibrium (LD) block as the IL7R gene and there is well known association between the CAPSL-IL7R locus and type 1 diabetes.

Vaspin (visceral adipose-specific SERPIN), 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.

Carboxypeptidase-E (CPE ) is a carboxypeptidase that cleaves C-terminal amino acid residues and is involved in the biosynthesis of peptide hormones and neurotransmitters. CPE is a peripheral membrane protein. CPE specifically connects regulated secretory pathway proteins, including prohormones, but constitutively secreted proteins. Mutations in CPE are implicated in type II diabetes.

Interleukin 34 (IL34) is a cytokine that promotes the differentiation and viability of monocytes and macrophages through the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor and is a part of a group of cytokines called interleukins. IL34 increases growth or survival of immune cells known as monocytes. IL34 protein obtains its activity by binding the Colony stimulating factor 1 receptor. Interleukin 34 has also a potential part in viral infection, the adaptive immune response and bone marrow cell proliferation. Furthermore, IL34 plays an important role in innate immunity and in inflammatory processes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is derived from the transcription product of the proglucagon gene. The major source of GLP-1 in the body is the intestinal L cell that secretes GLP-1 as a guthormone. The biologically active forms of GLP-1 are: GLP-1-(7-37) and GLP-1-(7-36)NH2.
GLP-1 secretion by L cells is dependent on the presence of nutrients in the lumen of the small intestine. The secretagogues (agents that causes or stimulates secretion) of this hormone include major nutrients like carbohydrate, proteinand lipid. Once in the circulation, GLP-1 has a half life of less than 2 minutes, due to rapid degradation by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-4.
GLP-1 possesses several physiological properties that make it a subject of intensive investigation as a potential treatment of diabetes mellitus. The known physiological functions of GLP-1 include: Increases insulin secretion from the pancreas in a glucose-dependent manner, decreases glucagon secretion from the pancreas, increases beta cells mass and insulin gene expression, inhibits acid secretion and gastric emptying in the stomach, decreases food intake by increasing satiety.

Inhibitor of Growth Family, Member 2 (ING2) belongs to the inhibitor of growth (ING) family. ING family members associate with and modulate the activity of histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes and serve in DNA repair and apoptosis. ING2 appears to be involved in p53/TP53 activation and p53/TP53-dependent apoptotic pathways, most likely by enhancing acetylation of p53/TP53. ING2 is a component of an mSin3A-like corepressor complex, which is probably involved in deacetylation of nucleosomal histones. ING2 activity is modulated by binding to phosphoinositides (PtdInsPs).

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.

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.

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.