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Placental Lactogen is a polypeptide hormone that is produced by the Syncytiotrophoblasts of the Placenta, also known as chorionic somatomammotropin. It has both Growth Hormone and Prolactin activities on growth, lactation, and luteal steroid production. In women, placental lactogen secretion begins soon after implantation and increases to 1 g or more a day in late pregnancy. Placental lactogen is also an insulin antagonist.
Placental Lactogen Bovine is also capable of activating human and other heterologous GH receptors but not ruminat GH receptors.

PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB and PDGF-AB, are potent mitogens for a variety of cell types including smooth muscle cells, connective tissue cells, bone and cartilage cells, and some blood cells. The PDGF is stored in platelet alpha-granules and released upon platelet activation. The PDGF is involved in a number of biological processes, including hyperplasia, chemotaxis, embryonic neuron development, and respiratory tubule epithelial cell development. Two distinct signaling receptors used by PDGF
have been identified and named PDGFR-alpha and PDGFR-beta. PDGFR-alpha is high-affinity receptor for each of the three PDGF forms. On the other hand, PDGFR-beta interacts with only PDGF-BB and PDGF-AB.

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.

Nectin Cell Adhesion Molecule 2, also known as NECTIN2, is a Ca(2+)-independent cell-cell adhesion molecule which is one of the plasma membrane components of adherens junctions. NECTIN2 takes a vital part in the establishment of homotypic as well as heterotypic cell to cell contacts. NECTIN2 is essential for resisting herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in transfected cells. NECTIN2 is also a possible target for antibody therapy of breast & ovarian cancers. NECTIN2 might be related with human longevity. Two diseases which have been associated with NECTIN2 are Herpes Simplex and Ovarian Cystic Teratoma.

NFKB inhibitor interacting Ras-like 2 (NKIRAS2) is an inhibitor of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. NKIRAS2 is similar to the Ras-like small GTPases which associate with IkappaB. The Ras-like proteins- NKIRAS1 and NKIRAS2, interact with the PEST domains of I?B? and I?B? and reduce their rate of degradation. NKIRAS2 is an atypical Ras-like protein which functions as a potent regulator of NF-kappa-B activity by preventing the degradation of NF-kappa-B inhibitor beta (NFKBIB) by most signals, explaining why NFKBIB is more impervious to degradation.

pykF (pyruvate kinase I) is a member of the pyruvate kinase family. pykF is an enzyme involved in glycolysis. pykF catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to ADP, yielding one molecule of pyruvate and one molecule of ATP, a process which also requires a Magnesium ion. This is the final step in the glycolytic pathway, which produces pyruvate molecules, the ultimate product of aerobic glycolysis.

Tissue factor is well-known as the main cellular initiator of blood coagulation. The Tissue factor gene encodes coagulation factor III which is a cell surface glycoprotein that enables cells to initiate the blood coagulation cascades, and functions as the high-affinity receptor for the coagulation factor VII. Following vessel injury, the Tissue Factor and Factor VIIa complex activates the coagulation protease cascade, which leads to fibrin deposition and activation of platelets. The ensuing complex presents a catalytic event, which is responsible for initiation of the coagulation protease cascades by specific limited proteolysis. Therefore, Tissue factor has a role in normal hemostasis by initiating the cell-surface assembly and propagation of the coagulation protease cascade. Tissue Factor can also be stimulated by the inflammatory mediators interleukin 1 and TNF, as well as by endotoxin, to appear on monocytes and vascular endothelial cells as a component of cellular immune response.
Tissue factor is the only one in the coagulation pathway for which a congenital deficiency has not been described. Certain levels of Tissue Factor are essential for the maintained viability and growth of endothelium and Tissue Factor-expressing tumor cells. Additionally, abnormal Tissue Factor expression inside the vasculature initiates life threatening thrombosis in various diseases, for example sepsis, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Alternative spliced Tissue Factor expression advances tumor growth, and is linked to increased tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer.

Albumin is synthesized in the liver as preproalbumin which has an N-terminal peptide that is removed before the nascent protein is released from the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The product, proalbumin, is in turn cleaved in the Golgi vesicles to produce the secreted albumin. Albumin is a soluble, monomeric protein which comprises about one-half of the blood serum protein. Albumin functions primarily as a carrier protein for steroids, fatty acids, and thyroid hormones and plays a role in stabilizing extracellular fluid volume. Mutations in this gene on chromosome 4 result in various anomalous proteins. Albumin is a globular unglycosylated serum protein of molecular weight 65,000. The human albumin gene is 16,961 nucleotides long from the putative 'cap' site to the first poly (A) addition site. It is split into 15 exons which are symmetrically placed within the 3 domains that are thought to have arisen by triplication of a single primordial domain.
HSA is widely used to stabilize blood volume generally from donors but the fear of contamination such as HIV & Hepatitis has enticed great interest in the recombinant form which is identical to the natural blood.

Galectins are a family of animal lectins with an affinity for beta-galactosides. This family has at least 14 identified members. Galectins share similarities in the CRD (the carbohydrate recognition domain). Galectins are synthesized as cytosolic proteins. Though localized principally in the cytoplasm and lacking a classical signal peptide, galectins can also be stimulated to secretion by non-classical pathways or alternatively targeted to the nucleus. Galectins are involved in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Galectin-8 is a tandem-repeat-type member of the galectin family, consisting of 2 CRDs attached by a linker peptide. Galectin-8 is greatly expressed in lung carcinomas, a number of forms of prostate carcinomas, in addition to other tumor cells. Galectin-8 attaches to a subset of cell surface integrins to modulate ECM-integrin interactions. Once immobilized, Galectin-8 promotes cell adhesion by ligation and clustering of cell surface integrin receptors. On the other hand, as a soluble ligand, Galectin-8 can inhibit cell adhesion.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) is a multifunctional growth factor which regulates both cell growth and cell motility. It exerts a strong mitogenic effect on hepatocytes and primary epithelial cells. HGF synergizes with Interleukin-3and GM-CSFto stimulate colony formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro and may, therefore, also modulate hematopoiesis.

TFAM is a mitochondrial transcription factor which is a main activator of mitochondrial transcription and is also a participant in mitochondrial genome replication. TFAM is situated primarily in the nuclei of elongated spermatids and takes part in the regulation of gene expression of the haploid male genome. TFAM is linked to mitochondrial disorder in humans characterized by ocular myopathy, exercise intolerance and muscle wasting.

Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Receptor, also known as CNTFR is a member of the type I cytokine receptor family. CNTFR binds to CNTF. The alpha subunit provides the receptor specificity. Sole nucleotide polymorphisms in CNTFR has been associated with variations in muscle strength, in addition to early onset of eating disorders.

Proteins of the TFF family are characterized by obtaining a minimum of 1 copy of the trefoil motif, a 40-amino acid domain that contains 3 conserved disulfides. Trefoil Factors are stable secretory proteins expressed in gastrointestinal mucosa which protect the mucosa from insults, stabilize the mucus layer and affect healing of the epithelium.TFF2 inhibits gastric acid motility & secretion. TFF2 stabilizes glycoproteins in the mucus gel through interactions with carbohydrate side chains.

WHSC2 (NELF-A) is a protein factor required for DRB-sensitive transcription. WHSC2 is one of the 5 components of the multisubunit NELF complex which cooperates with DSIF to repress RNA polymerase II elongation. The Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is a multiple malformation syndrome characterized by mental and developmental defects resulting from a hemizygous deletion of the distal short arm of chromosome 4 (4p16.3).

Geminin is a 25 kDa nuclear protein, which inhibits DNA replication and is degraded during the mitotic phase of the cell cycle. Geminin controls replication by binding to the licensing factor Cdt1, and is involved in neural differentiation. In addition, Geminin directly interacts with Six3 and Hox homeodomain proteins during embryogenesis and inhibits their functions. Geminin can also promote DNA replication. Geminin has 2 roles in 2 different stages of the cell cycle: Geminin is a negative regulator of DNA replication during the “S phase” of the cell cycle. Inhibition of Geminin during the “S phase” (by RNAi) results in an additional round of replication of portions of the genome. During the “M phase” of the cell cycle (mitosis) Geminin stabilizes the replication factor Cdt1 promoting DNA replication during the next cell cycle. Moreover, inhibition of Geminin during mitosis (by RNAi) causes destabilization of Cdt1 protein and impairment of DNA replication during the next cell cycle. Geminin thus guarantees that only one round of replication occurs during each cell cycle. It was discovered that Geminin is overexpressed in a number of malignancies and cancer cell lines. This maintains the concept that Geminin has also a positive role in DNA replication and cell cycle progression. Geminin accumulates through S, G2 and M phases of the cell cycle but is absent during the G1 phase. During the metaphase/anaphase transition of mitosis Geminin levels decrease.

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.

BAFF binds to tnfrsf13b/taci and tnfrsf17/bcma. Tnfsf13/april binds to the same 2 receptors, together, they form a 2 ligands -2 receptors pathway involved in the stimulation of b- and t-cell function and the regulation of humoral immunity. A third b-cell specific baff-receptor (baffr/br3) promotes the survival of mature b-cells and the b-cell response.
B Lymphocyte Stimulator functions as a potent B-cell growth factor in costimulation assays.
Administration of BAFF Human recombinant to mice disrupts splenic B-cell and T-cell zones and results in elevated levels of serum immunoglobulin.

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 way.

Coiled-Coil Domain Containing 25 (CCDC25) is a 208 amino acid protein belonging to the CCDC25 family.

Fibronectin Leucine Rich Transmembrane Protein 3, also known as FLRT3 is a member of the fibronectin leucine rich transmembrane protein (FLRT) family. FLRT3 contains one fibronectin type-III domain as well as 10 LRR (leucine-rich) repeats and is expressed in the kidney, brain, pancreas, skeletal muscle, lung, liver, placenta, and heart. In addition, the members of the FLRT family play a role in cell adhesion as well as receptor signaling. FLRT3 has been implicated in neurite outgrowth after nerve damage, as a positive regulator of FGF signalling and in homotypic cell adhesion. Furthermore, FLRT3 has an essential function in regulating cellular adhesion among the epithelial apical ridge and the underlying mesenchyme and also in the establishment of the dorso-ventral position of the ridge.

HDGF is a member of the hepatoma-derived growth factor family. HDGF plays a role as a secreted mitogen from the human hepatoma cell line Huh-7. HDGF is a nuclear targeted vascular smooth muscle cell mitogen as well as a heparin-binding protein that is greatly expressed in tumor cells where it stimulates proliferation. HDGF takes part in organ development and lung remodeling after injury by promoting proliferation of lung epithelial cells. HDGF plays a role in the carcinogenesis of gastric epithelial cells through promotion of cell proliferation by Erk1/2 activation. HDGF is linked with tumorigenesis and the growth of cancer. HDGF is a self-regulating factor connected with the prognosis of liver cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. HDGF has proliferative, angiogenic, and neurotrophic activity. HDGF is a distinctive nuclear targeting growth factor that is vastly expressed in HCC cells and is a prognostic factor for HCC.

COX Assembly Mitochondrial Protein 1(CMC1) is a member of the CMC family. CMC1 is required for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) assembly and respiration. CMC1 attaches copper and might be involved in copper trafficking and distribution to COX and SOD1.