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KIT, also known as KIT Proto-Oncogene Receptor Tyrosine, is a cytokine receptor which is expressed not only in hematopoietic stem cells but likewise in other cell types. KIT binds to receptor tyrosine kinase type III, which is a stem cell factor, also named a "rigid factor" or "c-kit ligand". Once this receptor binds to stem cell factor (SCF), it forms a dimer which activates intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, which sequentially phosphorylates & activates signaling molecules which breed signals in cells. This receptor protects vascular smooth muscle cells from apoptosis in addition to restoring cardiac function after myocardial infarction.

HCV is a small 50nm, enveloped, single-stranded, positive sense RNAvirus in the family Flaviviridae.
HCV has a high rate of replication with approximately one trillion particles produced each day in an infected individual. Due to lack of proofreading by the HCV RNA polymerase, the HCV has an exceptionally high mutation rate, a factor that may help it elude the host's immune response. Hepatitis C virus is classified into six genotypes(1-6) with several subtypes within each genotype. The preponderance and distribution of HCV genotypes varies globally. Genotype is clinically important in determining potential response to interferon-based therapy and the required duration of such therapy. Genotypes 1 and 4 are less responsive to interferon-based treatment than are the other genotypes (2, 3, 5 and 6).

EIF5A is the single protein identified to contain remarkable amino acid formed by the action of deoxyhypusine synthase and deoxyhypusine hydroxylase using spermidine as the substrate. EIF5A takes part in the first step of peptide bond formation in translation, nevertheless further experiments implicates it as a universally conserved translation elongation factor. Modulation of EIF5A is connected to proliferation and cancer. Expression of EIF-5A is upregulated in the PBMCs of HIV-1 patients. EIF5A coordinates significant cellular processes like cell viability and senescence during its effects on the stability of certain mRNAs. Heat stress-induced loss of EIF-5A in a human pancreatic cancer cell line. EIF5A stability takes part in determining the fate of the particular cell type after severe heat stress.

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I F (HLA-F) belongs to the MHC family which takes part in the presentation of antigens to the T cell receptor. HLA-F is a member of the class I molecules which are expressed in virtually all cells. There are 2 classes of HLA antigens. Class I molecules takes an important part in the immune system by presenting peptides derived from the endoplasmic reticulum.

Renin is a highly specific endopeptidase which generates angiotensin I from angiotensinogen in the plasma. angiotensin I is an important regulator of blood pressure and electrolyte balance. Renin initiates a cascade of reactions that produce an elevation of blood pressure and increased sodium retention by the kidney.

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.

FHIT enzyme cleaves adenosine 5'' PPP 5'' A to yield AMP and ADP. FHIT gene includees the regular fragile site FRA3B on chromosome 3. Alterations and deletions of the FHIT gene are highly linked to the genesis and establishment of human tumors of the lung, cervix, breast, colon, stomach and pancreas. In normal cells, FHIT functions as a tumor suppressor and physically relates with ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 9.

SDF-1 (stromal cell-derived factor-1) is small cytokine belonging to the chemokine family that is officially designated Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12). It is produced in two forms, SDF-1?/CXCL12a and SDF-1?/CXCL12b, by alternate splicing of the same gene. Chemokines are characterized by the presence of four conserved cysteines, which form two disulfide bonds. The CXCL12 proteins belong to the group of CXC chemokines, whose initial pair of cysteines are separated by one intervening amino acid. CXCL12 is strongly chemotactic for lymphocytes and has been implicated as an important cell co-ordinator during development. During embryogenesis it directs the migration of hematopoietic cells from foetal liver to bone marrow. Mice which were knocked-out for CXCL12 gene were lethal before the birth or within just 1 hour of life. As another role, CXCL12a alters also the electrophysiology of neurons. CXCL12 was shown to be expressend in many tissues in mice (including brain, thymus, heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow).
The receptor for this chemokine is CXCR4, which was previously called fusin. This CXCL12-CXCR4 interaction used to be considered exclusive (unlike for other chemokines and their receptors), but recently it was suggested that CXCL12 is also bound by CXCR7 receptor.
The gene for CXCL12 is located on human chromosome 10. In human and mouse both CXCL12 and CXCR4 show high identity of sequence: 99% and 90%, respectively.

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.

Gankyrin (proteasome 26S subunit) is a multicatalytic proteinase oncoprotein commonly overexpressed in most hepatocellular carcinomas. Proteasomes are found throughout eukaryotic cells at a high concentrations and cleave peptides in an ATP/ubiquitin-dependent process in a non-lysosomal pathway. Gankyrin interacts with S6 ATPase of the 19S regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome. Gankyrin is involved in theregulation of the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein by CDK4, and to enhance the ubiquitinylation of p53 by MDM2. Gankyrin consists of 7 ankyrin repeats and is structurally similar to I kappa Bs. Gankyrin acts as a regulatory subunit of the 26s proteasome which is involved in the atp-dependent degradation of ubiquitinated proteins. Gankyrin is involved in progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. gankyrin plays an oncogenic role especially in early stages of human epatocarcinogenesis. Gankyrin binds to NF-kappaB and suppresses its activity at the transcription level by modulating acetylation through SIRT1. Structural comparison between Gankyrin & p16(INK4A) identified numerous residues of gankyrin that are potentially important for CDK4 binding.

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein that belongs to the transferrin family of iron binding proteins. It is found in human breast milk as well as most epithelial surface secretions including tears, nasogastric, saliva, and bronchial. Lactoferrin binds 2 molecules of iron with very high affinity. Lactoferrin inhibits bacterial growth by withholding iron, its N-terminal region is an antimicrobial peptide. Lactotransferrin acts synergistically with lysozyme to potentiate the activity of both proteins. The multifunctional protein lactoferrin has many physiological possible roles. It is often referred to as an innate defense protein and frequently serves as the first line of defense in protection against pathogens. It has been shown to have the ability to bind iron, it is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral, it is an antioxidant and it also has immunomodulatory properties. It has many beneficial properties, which make it a good candidate for a number of product applications. Considerable research is currently going on to explain the various suggested biological functions of lactoferrin.

TNFR2 belongs to the TNF-receptor superfamily. TNFR2 is receptor with high affinity for TNFSF2/TNF-alpha and approximately 5-fold lower affinity for homotrimeric TNFSF1/lymphotoxin-alpha. TNFR2 mediates the majority of the metabolic effects of TNF-alpha. In addition, knockout studies in mice propose a role for TNFR2 in protecting neurons from apoptosis by stimulating antioxidative pathways. TNFR2 expression might have a significant role in the angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation and metastasis of Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast.
There are 2 types of soluble TNF receptors: sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II, which act to neutralize the biological activities of TNF alpha and TNF beta. The levels of these soluble receptors seem to increase as a result of shedding of the extracellular domains of the membrane bound receptors. High levels of soluble TNF receptors are found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women. TNFR2 and TNFR1 form a heterocomplex which mediates the recruitment of 2 anti-apoptotic proteins, c-IAP1 and c-IAP2, which possess E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. IAPs’ function in TNF-receptor signaling is unknown; nevertheless, c-IAP1 is believed to potentiate TNF-induced apoptosis by the ubiquitination and degradation of TNF-receptor-associated factor 2, which mediates anti-apoptotic signals. Oxidative stress promotes TNFR1 and TNFR2 self-interaction, ligand-independent and enhanced ligand-dependent TNF signaling. TNF-a, TNFR1 and TNFR2 have roles in cellular differentiation. TNFR1 and TNFR2 function in cell type-specific renal injury.

GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) are synthetic peptides that like GHRH act directly on pituitary somatotrophs to stimulate GH release. GHRP-2, an investigational drug, is one of the most potent members of the GHRP family. It has been shown to be effective in adults via the oral and intranasal as well as the iv route of administration.

CD9 which is found on the surface of exosomes is a cell surface glycoprotein which is interacts with integrins and various transmembrane superfamily proteins. CD9 is involved in platelet activation and aggregation and also regulates paranodal junction formation. CD9 takes part in cell adhesion and migration and also promotes muscle cell fusion. CD9 is necessary for the egg-sperm fusion during mammalian fertilization.

ASF1 Anti-Silencing Function 1 Homolog B (ASF1B) belongs to the H3/H4 family of histone chaperone proteins and is similar to the anti-silencing function-1 protein in yeast. ASF1B is the substrate of the tousled-like kinase family of cell cycle-regulated kinases, and may have a crucial role in modulating the nucleosome structure of chromatin by guaranteeing a regular supply of histones at sites of nucleosome assembly. ASF1B cooperates with CAF-1 (chromatin assembly factor 1) to stimulate replication-dependent chromatin assembly. ASF1B is highly expressed in the testis and at lower levels in colon, small intestine and thymus. ASF1B is necessary for spermatogenesis.

GGCT is a member of the family of transferases, specifically the aminoacyltransferases. GGCT protein catalyzes the formation of 5-oxoproline from gamma-glutamyl dipeptides and takes an important part in glutathione homeostasis. GGCT induces release of cytochrome c from mitochondria with resultant induction of apoptosis.

A 16-kDa peptide hormone secreted from white adipocytes and implicated in the regulation of food intake and energy balance. Leptin provides the key afferent signal from fat cells in the feedback system that controls body fat stores.

Plasma protease C1 inhibitor (SERPING1) is a part of the serpin superfamily of serine protease inhibitors. SERPING1 plays an important role in regulating activation of both the complement and contact systems. That isdue to the fact that SERPING1 regulates the activation of complement factor C1 in addition to the activity of activated C1 by coupling with the active catalytic site at the light chains of C1r and C1s. SERPING1 insufficiency results in hereditary angioedema, which is characterized by recurrent episodes of localized angioedema of the skin, gastrointestinal mucosa or upper respiratory mucosa.

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.

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. Human Galectin-7 belongs to the prototypical Galectins containing a single CRD, which is initially identified in human epidermis as a monomer. The Galectin-7 expression is induced by tumor suppressor protein p53 and associated with apoptosis. Galectin-7 is a pro-apoptotic protein which functions intracellularlly upstream of JNK activation and mitochondrial cytochrome c release. The correlation of Galectin-7 with the UV-induced apoptosis of keratinocytes presents a critical mechanism in the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis. Human Galectin-7 is localized in both nucleus and cytoplasm.

The fasting-induced adipose factor (FIAF, ANGPTL4, PGAR, HFARP) was identified as an adipocytokine up-regulated by fasting, by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists, and by hypoxia. At the protein level, in human and mouse blood plasma, FIAF was found to be present both as a native protein and in a truncated form. Differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes was associated with the production of truncated FIAF, whereas in human white adipose tissue and SGBS adipocytes, only the native FIAF could be detected. Interestingly, the truncated FIAF was produced by human liver.
Experimental data suggest that FIAF is mainly presented in human blood plasma in a truncated form (FIAF-S2), whose level is increased by fenofibrate treatment. Levels of both truncated and native FIAF showed marked inter individual variation but were not associated with body mass index and were not influenced by prolonged semistarvation.

TRAF Family Member-Associated NFKB Activator (TANK) is located in the cytoplasm and binds Either TRAF1, TRAF2 or TRAF3. TANK is an inhibitor of TRAF function which regulates TRAF protein activity via sequestering TRAFs in a dormant position in the cytoplasm. Overexpression of TANK, inhibits TRAF2-mediated NF-Kappa-B activation signaled by CD40 and both TNF receptors and also inhibits LMP1-mediated NFkappa-B activation by blocking the connection of TRAF2 with LMP1.

Activin A Receptor Type 1 (ACVR1) is a member of TGF-beta serine/threonine kinase receptor family. ACVR1 forms a receptor complex contains2 type II and 2 type I transmembrane serine/threonine kinases. Type II receptors phosphorylate and activate type I receptors which autophosphorylate,bind and activate SMAD transcriptional regulators. ACVR1 takes part in left-right pattern formation during embryogenesis and is also essential in the BMP pathway which is responsible for the development and repair of the skeletal system.ACVR1 is linked to Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva which isknown for the formation of heterotopic bone throughout the body.