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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.

The 14-3-3 family of proteins plays a key regulatory role in signal transduction, checkpoint control, apoptotic and nutrient-sensing pathways. 14-3-3 proteins are highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed. There are at least seven isoforms that have been identified in mammals. The 14-3-3gamma, a subtype of the 14-3-3 family of proteins, was thought to be brain and neuron-specific. It has been shown to interact with RAF1 and protein kinase C, proteins involved in various signal transduction pathways.

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II DR Beta 1 also known as HLA-DRB1 ia a member of the HLA class II beta chain paralogs. Molecule class II is a heterodimer consisting of an alpha (DRA) and a beta chain (DRB), both anchored in the membrane. HLA-DRB1 takes an essential part in the immune system by presenting peptides derived from extracellular proteins. Class II molecules are expressed in antigen presenting cells (APC: B lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages). Furthermore, the beta chain is approximately 26- 28 kDa. It is encoded by 6 exons. While exon one encodes the leader peptide; exons 2 and 3 encode the two extracellular domains; exon 4 encodes the transmembrane domain; and exon 5 encodes the cytoplasmic tail.

The galectins are a family of beta-galactoside-binding proteins implicated in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Galectin-1 is an autocrine negative growth factor that regulates cell proliferation. Galectin-1 regulates cell apoptosis and cell differentiation. Galectin-1 binds CD45, CD3 and CD4 & inhibits CD45 protein phosphatase activity and therefore the dephosphorylation of lyn kinase. Galectin-1 and its ligands are one of the master regulators of immune responses as T-cell homeostasis and survival, T-cell immune disorders, inflammation and allergies as well as host–pathogen interactions. Galectin-1 expression or overexpression in tumors and/or the tissue surrounding them must be considered as a sign of the malignant tumor progression that is often related to the long-range dissemination of tumoral cells (metastasis), to their dissemination into the surrounding normal tissue, and to tumor immune-escape. Galectin-1 in its oxidized form plays a number of important roles in the regeneration of the central nervous system after injury. The targeted overexpression (or delivery) of Galectin-1 should be considered as a method of choice for the treatment of some kinds of inflammation-related diseases, neurodegenerative pathologies and muscular dystrophies. In contrast, the targeted inhibition of Galectin-1 expression is what should be developed for therapeutic applications against cancer progression. Galectin-1 is thus a promising molecular target for the development of new and original therapeutic tools. There is 88% homology between the human and mouse galectin-1.

Human TNFRSF10A is a type 1 transmembrane protein in the TNF R superfamily. TNFRSF10A is not expressed in rodents. The trimeric ligand Trail binds TNFRSF10A and induces apoptosis, and recombinant, soluble forms of the receptor inhibit Trail-induced apoptosis. TNFRSF10A is expressed generally in damaged, infected, and malignant cells. TNFRSF10A functions in immune surveillance, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells but not normal cells.

The cytokine Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been identified to be secreted by the pituitary gland and the monocyte/macrophage and to play an important role in endotoxic shock. MIF has the unique property of being released from macrophages and T cells in response to physiological concentrations of glucocorticoids. The secretion of MIF is tightly regulated and decreases at high, anti-inflammatory steroid concentration.

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).

Binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP or HSPA5) is a member of the family of ~70kDa heat shock proteins (HSP 70). HSPA5 is a stress response protein which is induced by agents or conditions that adversely affect endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function. HSPA5 is crucial for the proper glycosylation, folding as well as for the maintenance of cell homeostasis and the prevention of apoptosis.

ARF4 belongs to the ARF gene family whose members encode small guanine nucleotide-binding proteins which stimulate the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of cholera toxin and have a role in vesicular trafficking and as activators of phospholipase D. The ARF proteins include five ARF proteins and eleven ARF-like proteins and constitute one family of the RAS superfamily. They are classified as class I, class II and class III; the ARF4 gene is a class II member. The members of each class share a common gene organization. The ARF4 gene spans approximately 12kb and contains 6 exons and 5 introns. The ARF4 gene is the most divergent member of the human ARFs.

ATF1, a cyclic-AMP dependent transcription factor, is expressed in a large selection of cell types and can dimerize with CREB. MSK1 and MSK2 protein kinases are essential for the stress-induced phosphorylation of transcription factors CREB and ATF1 in primary embryonic fibroblasts. Epidermal growth factor induction of c-jun expression needs ATF1 and MEF2 sites in the c-jun promoter.

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.

TNFRSF14, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily, is a type I transmembrane protein. TNFRSF14 is expressed in peripheral blood T cells, B cells, monocytes and in various tissues enriched in lymphoid cells. TNFRSF14 operates as a co-stimulatory factor for the activation of lymphoid cells and as a deterrent to infection by herpesvirus. Additionally, TNFRSF14 encourages the proliferation of T cells, and triggers apoptosis of various tumor cells.

TNFRSF17 is a receptor for tnfsf13b/blys/baff and tnfsf13/april. TNFRSF17 promotes b-cell survival and plays a role in the regulation of humoral immunity. TNFRSF17 activates nf-kappa-b and jnk. TNFRSF17 is a member of the TNF-receptor superfamily. TNFRSF17 is expressed in mature B lymphocytes, and is invloved in B cell development and autoimmune response. TNFRSF17 specifically binds to the tumor TNFSF13B/TALL-1/BAFF, which causes NF-kappaB and MAPK8/JNK activation. TNFRSF17 binds to a variety of TRAF family members, and therefore transduces signals for cell survival and proliferation. TNFRSF17 is a type III membrane protein having 1 extracellular cysteine rich domain. Within the TNFRSF, it shares the highest homology with TACI. BCMA and TACI have both been shown to bind to APRIL and BAFF, members of the TNF ligand superfamily. BCMA expression has been found in immune organs. TNFRSF17 appears to be localized to the Golgi compartment. The binding of BCMA to APRIL or BAFF has been shown to stimulate IgM production in peripheral blood B cells and increase the survival of cultured B cells.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important signaling protein involved in vessel formation As its name implies, VEGF activity has been mostly studied on cells of the vascular endothelium, although it does have effects on a number of other cell types (e.g. stimulation monocyte/macrophage migration, neurons, cancer cells, kidney epithelial cells ). VEGF mediates increased vascular permeability, induces vasculogenesis and endothelial cell production, promotes cell migration, and inhibits apoptosis. In vitro, VEGF has been shown to stimulate endothelial cell mitogenesis and cell migration. VEGF is also a vasodilator and increases microvascular permeability and was originally referred to as vascular permeability factor. VEGF is located in normal cartilage though only osteoarthritic cartilage expresses the VEGF receptors, NP1, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2. The VEGF level in the culture media from OA chondrocytes was more than 3 folds higher than in media from normal chondrocytes

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex, Component X, also known as PDHX, encodes the E3 binding protein subunit of the PDH complex which contains 3 catalytic subunits. PDHX tethers E3 dimers to the E2 core of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes of eukaryotes. This specific binding is critical for a functional PDH complex.

Betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of betaine and homocysteine to dimethylglycine and methionine, respectively. BHMT displays differential expression in a model of liver cirrhosis.

REM2 and RAB-Like Small GTPase 1 (RSG1) plays a part in targeted membrane trafficking most likely at the level of vesicle fusion with membranes. The RSG1 protein is involved in cilium biogenesis by regulating the transportation of cargo proteins to the basal body and to the apical tips of cilia. RSG1 is a potential effector of the planar cell polarity signaling pathway. RSG1 is also involved in exocytosis in secretory cells.

AHCY is an enzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydrolysis of S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) to adenosine (Ado) and L-homocysteine (Hcy). AHCY controls the intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) concentration that is crucial for transmethylation reactions. AHCY deficiency causes hypermethioninemia.

Non-homologous end-joining factor 1 (NHEJ1) is a member of the XLF family. NHEJ1 is a DNA repair factor vital for the nonhomologous end-joining pathway, which preferentially mediates repair of double-stranded breaks. NHEJ1 gene mutations cause different kinds of severe combined immunodeficiency disorders. NHEJ1 was initially detected as the protein mutated in five patients with growth retardation, microcephaly, and immunodeficiency. In addition, patients with NHEJ1 mutations have immunodeficiency caused by a defect in V(D)J recombination, which employs NHEJ to promote immune system diversity.

Pro-Epidermal Growth Factor Isoform 1 or EGF, is a globular peptide (77aa residues) which includes three intra molecular disulfide bonds. This protein acts as a growth factor that mediates the growth and proliferation of different epithelial & epidermal cells. Among other processes that EGF is part of are inhibition of gastric secretion and wound healing. EGF is a ligand for class I tyrosine kinase receptor (c-erbB).

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF R) subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases comprises four members: EGF R (also known as HER1, ErbB1 or ErbB), ErbB2 (Neu, HER-2), ErbB3 (HER-3), and ErbB4 (HER-4). All family members are type I transmembrane glycoprotein that has an extracellular domain which contains two cysteine-rich domains separated by a spacer region that is involved in ligand-binding, and a cytoplasmic domain which has a membrane-proximal tyrosine kinase domain and a C-terminal tail with multiple tyrosine autophosphorylation sites. The human EGF R gene encodes a 1210 amino acid (aa) residue precursor with a 24 aa putative signal peptide, a 621 aa extracellular domain, a 23 aa transmembrane domain, and a 542 aa cytoplasmic domain. EGF R has been shown to bind a subset of the EGF family ligands, including EGF, amphiregulin, TGF-a , betacellulin, epiregulin, heparin-binding EGF and neuregulin-2 in the absence of a co-receptor. Ligand binding induces EGF R homodimerization as well as heterdimerization with ErbB2, resulting in kinase activation, tyrosine phosphorylation and cell signaling. EGF R can also be recruited to form heterodimers with the ligand-activated ErbB3 or ErbB4. EGF R signaling has been shown to regulate multiple biological functions including cell proliferation, differentiation, motility and apoptosis. In addition, EGF R signaling has also been shown to play a role in carcinogenesis.

OGG1 is a DNA glycosylase enzyme which takes part in base excision repair. OGG1 protein is the main enzyme accountable for the excision of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG), a mutagenic base byproduct which arises as a result of exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS). OGG1 shows beta lyase activity that nicks DNA 3 to the lesion.

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.