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STC2 is a homodimeric glycoprotein that is expressed in a wide variety of tissues and may have autocrine or paracrine functions. The encoded protein has 10 of its 15 cysteine residues conserved among stanniocalcin family members and is phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 exclusively on its serine residues. Its C-terminus contains a cluster of histidine residues which may interact with metal ions. The protein may play a role in the regulation of renal and intestinal calcium and phosphate transport, cell metabolism, or cellular calcium/phosphate homeostasis. Constitutive over expression of human stanniocalcin 2 in mice resulted in pre- and postnatal growth restriction, reduced bone and skeletal muscle growth, and organomegaly. Expression of this gene is induced by estrogen and altered in some breast cancers.

Nucleolin (NCL) which is a eukaryotic nucleolar phosphoprotein, involved in the synthesis and maturation of ribosomes. Nucleolin is the key nucleolar protein of growing eukaryotic cells. NCL is found linked with intranucleolar chromatin and pre-ribosomal particles. NCL induces chromatin decondensation by binding to histone H1. Nucleolin is assumed to have a role in pre-rRNA transcription and ribosome compilation. Nucleolin may also have a role in the process of transcriptional elongation. Nucleolin is located primarily in the dense fibrillar regions of the nucleolus. The Human NCL gene consists of 14 exons with 13 introns and spans approximately 11kb.

Art v 1, Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort) is a common weed in the Mediterranean area. The significant allergen of mugwort pollen, is a secreted modular glycoprotein with a N-terminal defensin-like and a C-terminal hydroxyproline-rich domain. The reactivity of IgE antibodies is primarily aimed to epitopes located in the N-terminal domain.

Thymopentin, also known as TP-5, is a synthetic pentapeptide which is the active site of the naturally occurring hormone thymopoietin with immunomodulating properties (corresponding to the amino acids 32-36 of thymopoietin). Thymopentin enhances the production of thymic T cells and may help restore immunocompetence in immunosuppressed subjects. This agent also augments the effects of ionizing radiation by arresting cancer cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle.

This gene is a member of the EPO/TPO family and encodes a secreted, glycosylated cytokine composed of four alpha helical bundles. The protein is found in the plasma and regulates red cell production by promoting erythroid differentiation and initiating hemoglobin synthesis. This protein also has neuroprotective activity against a variety of potential brain injuries and antiapoptotic functions in several tissue types.

Eledoisin is an undecapeptide formed in the venom gland of several species of octopuses and is used as a vasodilator and a contraction agent of extravascular smooth muscle.

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.

Syntaxin-2 (STX2) is a member of the syntaxin/epimorphin family of proteins. Syntaxin family members are cellular receptors for transport vesicles which participate in exocytosis in neutrophils. STX2 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and epithelial cell morphogenesis and activation. STX2 is a t-SNARE which localizes to the apical plasma membrane and intracellular vesicular structures. In addition, STX2, along with SNAP-23, is essential for regulated surfactant secretion.

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.

Leukemia Inhibitory Factor also called LIF is a lymphoid factor that promotes long-term maintenance of embryonic stem cells by suppressing spontaneous differentiation. Leukemia Inhibitory Factor has several functions such as cholinergic neuron differentiation, control of stem cell pluripotency, bone & fat metabolism, mitogenesis of factor dependent cell lines & promotion of megakaryocyte production in vivo. Human and mouse LIF exhibit a 78% identity in its amino acid sequence.

Human thyrostimulin ranks among the glycoprotein hormone family. These hormones consist of two subunits, the common alpha- and specific beta-subunits, which associate noncovalently to form a heterodimer. The alpha-subunit combines with four distinct beta-subunits giving rise to four biologically active hormones in human: FSH, LH, TSH, and CG. FSH, LH, and TSH, mainly expressed in the anterior pituitary, are essential for coordinated endocrine regulation in the hypothalamus- pituitary axis and show to activate specific G protein–coupled receptors in the thyroid (TSH receptor) and gonads (LH and FSH receptors), respectively.
The heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones have only been identified in vertebrates and are highly conserved in organisms from primitive rayfin fish (Chondrostei) to human in both primary sequences and functional characteristics.
Corticotroph-derived glycoprotein hormone (CGH), also referred to as thyrostimulin, is a noncovalent heterodimer of glycoprotein hormone alpha 2 (GPHA2) and glycoprotein hormone beta 5 (GPHB5).
Recombinant A2/B5 heterodimeric glycoproteins activates human TSH receptors, but not LH and FSH receptors, and shows high affinity to TSH receptors in a radioligand receptor assay. The heterodimer also stimulates cAMP production and thymidine incorporation by cultured thyroid cells and increases serum thyroxine levels in TSH-suppressed rats in vivo. This new heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone was named as thyrostimulin based on its thyroid-stimulating activity. The expression of thyrostimulin in the anterior pituitary known to express TSH receptors suggested a paracrine mechanism.

Allergen Fra e 1.0101 (Fra e 1.0101) causes an allergic reaction in humans.

Darbepoetin is a mutant recombinant human EPO-Alpha protein re-engineered, containing 5 amino acid changes at N30, T32, V87, N88, T90. Darbepoetin exhibits longer half-life stimulating red blood cell production than Erythropoietin. Darbepoetin maintains hemoglobin more effectively compared to EPO-Alpha.

M-phase inducer phosphatase 1 (CDC25A) belongs to the CDC25 family of phosphatases. CDC25A is essential for progression from G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle. CDC25A activates the cyclin-dependent kinase CDC2 by eliminating 2 phosphate groups. CDC25A is specifically degraded in reaction to DNA damage, which inhibits cells with chromosomal abnormalities from progressing in the course of cell division. CDC25A is an oncogene, though its exact function in oncogenesis has not been determined.

CTK-19 is a member of the keratin family. The keratins are intermediate filament proteins responsible for the structural integrity of epithelial cells and are subdivided into cytokeratins and hair keratins. The type I cytokeratins consist of acidic proteins which are arranged in pairs of heterotypic keratin chains. Unlike its related family members, this smallest known acidic cytokeratin is not paired with a basic cytokeratin in epithelial cells. It is specifically expressed in the periderm, the transiently superficial layer that envelopes the developing epidermis. The type I cytokeratins are clustered in a region of chromosome 17q12-q21.

Basic fibroblast growth factor 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. This protein functions as a modifier of endothelial cell migration and proliferation, as well as an angiogenic factor. It acts as a mitogen for a variety of mesoderm- and neuroectoderm-derived cells in vitro, thus is thought to be involved in organogenesis. Three alternatively spliced variants encoding different isoforms have been described. The heparin-binding growth factors are angiogenic agents in vivo and are potent mitogens for a variety of cell types in vitro. There are differences in the tissue distribution and concentration of these 2 growth factors.

The FGFs are a family of more than 20 small (~17–26 kDa) secreted peptides. The initial characterization of these proteins focused on their ability to stimulate fibroblast proliferation. This mitogenic activity was mediated through FGF receptors (FGFRs) 1, 2, or 3. A fourth closely related tyrosine kinase receptor (FGFR4) was able to bind the FGFs but did not lead to a mitogenic response.
FGFs modulate cellular activity via at least 5 distinct subfamilies of high-affinity FGF receptors (FGFRs): FGFR-1, -2, -3, and -4, all with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity and, except for FGFR-4, multiple splice isoforms, and FGFR-5, which lacks an intracellular kinase domain. There is growing evidence that FGFRs can be important for regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis. The overexpression of a dominant negative form of FGFR-1 in ? cells leads to diabetes in mice, which thus implies that proper FGF signaling is required for normal ? cell function and glycemia maintenance. FGFR-2 appears to be a key molecule during pancreatic development. Moreover, FGFR-4 has been implicated in cholesterol metabolism and bile acid synthesis.
FGF-21 is preferentially expressed in liver, but an exact knowledge of FGF-21 bioactivity and its mode of action have been lacking to date. FGF-21 is a potent activator of glucose uptake on adipocytes, protects animals from diet-induced obesity when overexpressed in transgenic mice, and lowers blood glucose and triglyceride levels when therapeutically administered to diabetic rodents.

Fibroblast Growth Factor-6 (FGF6) belongs to the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. FGF family members possess extensive mitogenic and cell survival functions, and are involved in various biological processes, including embryonic development, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth and invasion. The FGF6 gene displayes oncogenic transforming activity when transfected into mammalian cells. The mouse homolog of the FGF6 gene displays a restricted expression profile predominantly in the myogenic lineage, suggesting a role in muscle regeneration or differentiation.

Pleiotrophin (Osteoblast-Specific Factor-1, OSF-1) contains 136 amino acid residues. The sequence is very rich in cationic amino acids (24% of the residues); lysine cluster sequences are found in the N-terminal and C-terminal ends of the structure.
The OSF-1 gene was shown by Northern blotting analysis to be expressed in mouse calvarial osteoblast-enriched cells and in mouse brain tissues, but not in thymus, spleen, kidney, liver, lung, testis or heart. Pleiotrophin has the ability to promote adhesion, migration, expansion, and differentiation of human osteoprogenitor cells. In addition to certain types of cancer, the embryonic growth and differentiation factor pleiotrophin is found also in adults in inflammatory diseases. In osteoarthritis, pleiotrophin is especially expressed in early stages, and its concentrations in the synovial fluid could serve as a marker for the progress of the disease. Pleitrophin might be involved in cartilage repair in osteoarthritis, in particular, in earlier stages.

PLGF is a growth factor active in angiogenesis, and endothelial cell growth, stimulating their proliferation and migration. It binds to receptor vegfr-1/flt1.
PLGF-2 binds neuropilin-1 and 2 in a dependent manner.

Persephin is a member of the GDNF ligand subfamily of the TGF-beta superfamily. PSPN encourages the existence and growth of key dopaminergic and motor neurons, as well as taking part in kidney development. Nonetheless, persephin does not support existence of peripheral neurons.

SPARC, an acronym for “secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine”, is also known as osteonectin or BM-40. It is the founding member of a family of secreted matricellular proteins with similar domain structure. The 303 amino acid, 43 kDa protein contains a 17 aa signal sequence, an N-terminal acidic region that binds calcium, a follistatin domain containing Kazal-like sequences, and a C-terminal extracellular calcium (EC) binding domain with two EF-hand motifs. SPARC is produced by fibroblasts, capillary endothelial cells, platelets and macrophages, especially in areas of tissue morphogenesis and remodeling. SPARC shows context-specific effects, but generally inhibits adhesion, spreading and proliferation, and promotes collagen matrix formation. For endothelial cells, SPARC disrupts focal adhesions and binds and sequesters PDGF and VEGF. SPARC is abundantly expressed in bone, where it promotes osteoblast differentiation and inhibits adipogenesis.

GH is a member of the somatotropin/prolactin family of hormones which play an important role in growth control. The gene, along with four other related genes, is located at the growth hormone locus on chromosome 17 where they are interspersed in the same transcriptional orientation; an arrangement which is thought to have evolved by a series of gene duplications. The five genes share a remarkably high degree of sequence identity. Alternative splicing generates additional isoforms of each of the five growth hormones, leading to further diversity and potential for specialization. This particular family member is expressed in the pituitary but not in placental tissue as is the case for the other four genes in the growth hormone locus. Mutations in or deletions of the gene lead to growth hormone deficiency and short stature.