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Endoglin is a type I membrane glycoprotein located on cell surfaces and is part of the TGF beta receptor complex.
The protein consists of a homodimer of 180 kDA with disulfide links. It has been found on endothelial cells, activated macrophages, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells. Endoglin has been found to be part of the TGF-beta1 receptor complex. It thus may be involved in the binding of TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3, activin-A, BMP-2, and BMP-7. Beside TGF-beta signaling endoglin may have other functions. It has been postulated that endoglin is involved in the cytoskeletal organization affecting cell morphology and migration. Endoglin has a role in the development of the cardiovascular system and in vascular remodeling. Its expression is regulated during heart development . Experimental mice without the endoglin gene die due to cardiovascular abnormalities.

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an enzyme(EC1.1.1.27) present in a wide variety of organisms, including plants and animals.
A tetrameric enzyme that catalyses the interconversion of pyruvateand lactate with concomitant interconversion of NADH and NAD+. At high concentrations of pyruvate, the enzyme exhibits feedback inhibition and the rate of conversion of pyruvate to lactate is decreased. In vertebrates, genes for three different subunits (LDH-A, LDH-B and LDH-C) exist.

SERPINA1 is secreted and is a serine protease inhibitor which its targets include elastase, plasmin, collagenase, thrombin, leucocytic proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and plasminogen activator. Defects in SERPINA1 gene can cause emphysema or liver disease. Antral SERPINA1 expression is particularly induced by H. pylori infection. lung and prostate cancers have shown a significant increase in SERPINA1 serum levels compared with healthy controls though breast cancers did not show a significant change. SERPINA1 is an endogenous inhibitor of serine proteases and inhibits the catalytic domain of human recombinant matriptase in vitro. Rise in SERPINA1 occurs as an acute phase response to tissue necrosis and inflammation. mutations in SERPINA1 and SLC11A1 genes change the balance between elastase produced by leukocytes during phagocytosis.

Delta-Like4, also known as DLL4 is implicated in the Notch signaling pathway as Notch ligand. Consequently DLL4 negatively regulates endothelial cell proliferation, migration as well as angiogenic sprouting. DLL4 is vital for retinal progenitor proliferation and also required for suppressing rod fates in late retinal progenitors and for proper generation of other retinal cell types. Furthermore, at some stage in the spinal cord neurogenesis, DLL4 inhibits V2a interneuron fate.

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.

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.

IL-22 is a member of the IL-10 family of regulatory cytokines.Members of this family share partial homology in their amino acid sequences, but they are dissimilar in their biological functions. Produced by T lymphocytes, IL-22 inhibits IL-4 production by Th2 cells, and induces acute phase reactants in the liver and pancreas. IL-22 signals through a receptor system consisting of IL-10R-beta/CRF2-4 and IL-22R, both of which are members of the class II cytokine-receptor family.

IL23 is composed of a subunit of the heterodimeric cytokine IL23 and the p40 subunit of interleukin 12 (IL12B). Interleukin-23 (IL-23) belongs to the IL-12 family and is produced by antigen presenting cells. IL-23 using IL12RB1 and IL-23R (specific for IL-23) can activate STAT and NF-kB pathways and stimulate the production of interferon-gamma. ). IL-23 is known to take a vital part in the inflammation process and is associated with auto immune diseases. However, unlike IL12, which acts primarily on naive CD4(+) T cells, IL23 preferentially acts on memory CD4(+) T cells.

Growth Differentiation Factor-7 (GDF-7) belongs to the BMP family of TGF-b superfamily proteins. GDF7 elicits its bioactivity via a heterodimeric receptor complex comprised of a type 1 (BMPR-IB) and a type II (BMPR-II or Activin RII) serine/threonine kinase receptor. GDF7 signaling results in the phosphorylation and activation of Smad proteins. GDF-7 is also involved in tendon and ligament formation and repair. In addition, GDF7 regulates bone formation, mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, neuronal differentiation, and axon guidance.

LGALS8 is a prostate-specific antigen that is solely overexpressed in malignant tumors and thus is a supplementary specific identifier of malignancies. LGALS8 is part of the galectin gene family which facilitates both cell-cell and cell matrix interactions in a method parallel to the selectin subgroup of C-type lectins.

PDGF-BB is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor family. The four members of this family are mitogenic factors for cells of mesenchymal origin and are characterized by a motif of eight cysteines. This gene product can exist either as a homodimer (PDGF-BB) or as a heterodimer with the platelet-derived growth factor alpha polypeptide (PDGF-AB), where the dimers are connected by disulfide bonds. Mutations in this gene are associated with meningioma. Reciprocal translocations between chromosomes 22 and 7, at sites where this gene and that for COL1A1 are located, are associated with a particular type of skin tumor called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans resulting from unregulated expression of growth factor. Two splice variants have been identified for this gene.

Beta-crystallin A4 (CRYBA4) is a member of the beta/gamma-crystallin family which are the dominant structural components of the vertebrate eye lens. Beta-crystallins construct aggregates of various sizes and are able to self-associate to form dimers or to form heterodimers with other beta-crystallins. The CRYBA4 gene being a beta acidic group member is part of a gene cluster with beta-B1, beta-B2, and beta-B3.

Midkine (MK) is the product of a retinoic acid responsive gene, MK, and is a member of a family of heparin binding factors. It contains 121 amino acid residues including 10 conserved cysteine residues, all of which appear to be disulphide linked.
Midkine is expressed during embryogenesis, showing an expression pattern that suggests functions in neurogenesis, cell migration, secondary organogenetic induction, and mesoderm-epithelial interaction.
The widespread downregulation of MK in the adult human is reverted in a number of cancers, in which polypeptides are able to act as both transforming growth factors and promoters of angiogenesis.
Midkine (MK), induces chemotaxis of human neutrophils and was found to trigger mobilization of intracellular calcium of these cells.
Midkine induces histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells with a rapid response in a dose dependent manner.
Midkine is also a potent stimulator of collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis.

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).

Neuregulin/Heregulin is a family of structurally related polypeptide growth factors which are stemmed from alternatively spliced genes (NRG1, NRG2, NRG3 and NRG4). Thus far, there are more than 14 soluble and transmembrane proteins derived from the NRG1 gene. Proteolytic processing of the extracellular domain of the transmembrane NRG1 isoforms release soluble growth factors. These isoforms contain the heregulins (HRGs), glial growth factors (GGFs) and sensory and motor neuron-derived factor (SMDF). All these factors have the Ig and EGF-like domain, and are able to bind to ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptor tyrosin kinases. This binding stimulates erb3 and erb4 heterodimerization with erb2, promoting intrinsic kinase activity, which results in tyrosine phosphorylation. NRG1 isoforms act to induce the growth and differentiation of epithelial, neuronal, glial, and other types of cells.

IL3 is a potent growth promoting cytokine. This cytokine is capable of supporting the proliferation of a broad range of hematopoietic cell types. It is involved in a variety of cell activities such as cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. This cytokine has been shown to also possess neurotrophic activity, and it may be associated with neurologic disorders.

PDGF-BB is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor family. The four members of this family are mitogenic factors for cells of mesenchymal origin and are characterized by a motif of eight cysteines. This gene product can exist either as a homodimer (PDGF-BB) or as a heterodimer with the platelet-derived growth factor alpha polypeptide (PDGF-AB), where the dimers are connected by disulfide bonds. Mutations in this gene are associated with meningioma. Reciprocal translocations between chromosomes 22 and 7, at sites where this gene and that for COL1A1 are located, are associated with a particular type of skin tumor called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans resulting from unregulated expression of growth factor. Two splice variants have been identified for this gene.

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).

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.

CRABP1 is a member of special carrier proteins for members of the vitamin A family. It is believed that CRABP1 has an essential role in retinoic acid-mediated differentiation and proliferation processes. Though, CRABP1 is structurally similar to the cellular retinol-binding proteins, it binds only retinoic acid at specific sites within the nucleus, which may contribute to vitamin A-directed differentiation in epithelial tissue. CRABP1 is constitutively expressed and is thought to have different functions in the cell than the related CRABP2. CRABP1 forms a beta-barrel structure which accommodates hydrophobic ligands in its interior.
Loss of CRABP1 function as a result of hypermethylation of its promoter leads to pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Furthermore, frequent methylation-associated silencing of CRABP1 is linked to esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma.

PPIF is a part of the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) family. PPIF accelerates the folding of proteins. It catalyzes the cis-trans isomerization of proline imidic peptide bonds in oligopeptides. PPIF is key component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Activation of this pore is thought to be involved in the induction of apoptotic and necrotic cell death.

Acyl-coenzyme A thioesterase 13 (ACOT13) belongs to the thioesterase subfamily of esterase family. ACOT13 is highly expressed in the kidney with moderate expression in the brain, liver and intestines. ACOT13 contains a hotdog-fold and is thought to co-localize with microtubules, possibly having a role in cellular proliferation events. Deletion of a segment of the q arm of chromosome 6 is linked to early onset intestinal cancer, suggesting the presence of a cancer susceptibility locus.