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Collagen triple helix repeat-containing protein 1 (CTHRC1) functions as a negative regulator of collagen matrix deposition. CTHRC1 is a secreted 28kDa protein which is glycosylated and highly conserved from lower chordates to mammals. CTHRC1 is highly connected with calcified tissues and cartilaginous matrix, but not with endothelial cells. CTHRC1 is detected qualitatively in plasma of healthy human subjects. CTHRC1 plasma levels are also significantly elevated during pregnancy, in diabetes, in inflammatory and infectious conditions, in subjects with acute myeloid leukemia but not in subjects with solid cancers. The hormonal functions of CTHRC1 include regulation of lipid storage and cellular glycogen levels with potentially far-reaching implications for cell metabolism and physiology. CTHRC1 gene deletion leads to fatty liver (steatosis) formation in mice while others exhibited inactivation of the CTHRC1 gene also results in low bone mass.

MMP-1 (interstitial collagenase) can break down a wide range of substrates including types I, II, III, VII, VIII, and X collagens as well as L-Selectin, pro-TNF, IL-1?, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5, casein, gelatin, ?1 antitrypsin, myelin basic protein, pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9. A significant function of MMP-1 is the degradation of fibrillar collagens in extracellular matrix remodeling. MMP-1 is expressed in fibroblasts, keratinocytes, endothelial cells, monocytes and macrophages. MMP1 can be divided into a number of distinct domains: a prodomain which is cleaved on activation, a catalytic domain containing the zinc binding site and a short hinge region with a carboxyl terminal domain. MMP1 is part of a cluster of MMP genes which localize to chromosome 11q22.3.

Myeloperoxidase is an important enzyme used by granulocytes during phagocytic lysis of foreign particles engulfed. In normal tissues and in a variety of myeloproliferative disorders myeloid cells of both neutrophilic and eosinophilic types, at all stages of maturation, exhibit strong cytoplasmic reactivity for MPO. Erythroid precursors, megakaryocytes, lymphoid cells, mast cells, and plasma cells are nonreactive. MPO is not observed in the neoplastic cells of a wide variety of epithelial tumors and sarcomas. MPO is useful in differentiating between myeloid and lymphoid leukemias.

Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that turns aspartate toasparagine and functions mostly in mammalian organs. ASNS is responsible for cell growthand its mRNA content is associated with changes in the cell cycle. ASNS may also play a role as a biomarker for ovarian cancer.

ECSIT homolog (ECSIT) is a ubiquitously expressed protein which has a vital role as an adaptor protein in the cytosolic signal transduction cascade events triggered by Toll receptor activation. ECSIT promotes proteolytic activation of MAP3K1. ECSIT is also involved in the BMP signaling pathway. ECSIT is essential for normal embryonic development. ECSIT was originally classified as a cytoplasmic protein interacting specifically with TNF receptor associated factor (TRAF)-6 in the TLR pathway. ECSIT gene knockdown results in gravely impaired complex I assembly and disrupted mitochondrial function.

Ectodysplasin A Receptor, also known as EDAR belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. EDAR is a receptor for the soluble ligand ectodysplasin A, and is capable of activating the nuclear factor-kappaB, JNK, as well as caspase-independent cell death pathways. EDAR is necessary for the development of hair, teeth, and other ectodermal derivatives. Furthermore, mutations in EDAR resulted in autosomal dominant and recessive forms of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.

Exosome component 8 and transcription factor 4 (EXOSC8) is a part of the exosome complex. In the cytoplasm, the RNA exosome complex is engaged in general mRNA turnover and specifically degrades naturally unstable mRNAs containing AU-rich elements (AREs) within their 3' untranslated regions, and in RNA inspection pathways, preventing translation of aberrant mRNAs. EXOSC8 appears to be involved in degradation of histone mRNA. EXOSC8 attaches to ARE-containing RNAs. The EXOSC8 gene encodes a 3'-5' exoribonuclease, which specifically interacts with mRNAs containing AU-rich elements. The EXOSC8 protein is part of the exosome complex, which is significant for the degradation of many RNA species.

Murine IL-36a belongs to the IL-1 family that includes IL-1b, IL-1a, IL-1ra, IL-18, IL-36ra (IL1F5), IL-36b (IL1F8), IL-36g (IL1F9), IL-37 (IL1F7) and IL-38 (IL-1F10). The IL-1 family members display a 12 b-strand, b-trefoil configuration, and are thought to have ascended from a mutual ancestral gene. Murine IL-36a is a 160 amino acid intracellular and secreted protein which holds no signal sequence, no prosegment and no potential N-linked glycosylation sites. IL-36a is released as a reaction to LPS and the cell ATP-induced activation of the P2X7 receptor.
Mouse to human, full length IL-36a/IL-1F6 shares 54% aa sequence homology. IL-36a is mostly found in skin and lymphoid tissues, but also in fetal brain, trachea, stomach and intestine.

TFB1M is a member of the methyltransferase superfamily. TFB1M is a dimethyltransferase which methylates mitochondrial 12S rRNA at the conserved stem loop. The TFB1M protein also is part of the basal mitochondrial transcription complex and is required for mitochondrial gene expression. TFB1M stimulates transcription independently of the methyltransferase activity.

TGFB1-induced anti-apoptotic factor 1 (TIAF1) hinders the cytotoxic effects of TNF-alpha and overexpressed TNF receptor adapters TRADD, FADD, and RIPK1. The TIAF1 protein is involved in TGF-beta1 inhibition of IkappaB-alpha expression and suppression of TNF-mediated IkappaB-alpha degradation. TIAF1 is not detected in normal kidney and liver. TIAF1 is up-regulated in chronic and acute allograft rejection: expressed in the inflammatory infiltrate and in tubular epithelial cells.

Pyruvate kinase is a key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. The M2 isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase is specifically expressed at high levels in tumor cells, and can be measured in plasma of patients with advanced breast cancer. The marker is useful for measuring disease activity, sensitivity to chemotherapy and recurrence.

Pallidin is involved in intracellular vesicle trafficking. PLDN cooperates with Syntaxin 13 that facilitates intracellular membrane fusion. A Few alternatively spliced transcript variations of this gene have been discovered however the full-length nature of several of these variants has not been determined. PLDN takes part in the creation of lysosome-related organelles, for example melanosomes and platelet-dense granules. PLDN is known to cooperate with Dysbindin, BLOC1S1, STX12, CNO, MUTED, SNAPAP and BLOC1S2.

Tumor necrosis factor is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that all stimulate the acute phase reaction. TNF is mainly secreted by macrophages.
TNF causes apoptotic cell death, cellular proliferation, differentiation, inflammation, tumorigenesis and viral replication, TNF is also involved in lipid metabolism, and coagulation. TNF's primary role is in the regulation of immune cells.
Dysregulation and, in particular, overproduction of TNF have been implicated in a variety of human diseases- autoimmune diseases, insulin resistance, and cancer.

Mmitochondrial import receptor subunit TOMM20 homolog (TOMM20) is a member of the Tom20 family. The Tom machinery consists of import receptors for the initial binding of cytosolically synthesized preproteins and a general import pore (GIP) for the membrane translocation of various preproteins into the mitochondria. TOMM20 acts as the transit peptide receptor at the surface of the mitochondrion outer membrane and facilitates the movement of preproteins into the TOM40 translocation pore.

KRT18 encodes the type I intermediate filament chain keratin 18. Keratin 18, together with its filament partner keratin 8, are perhaps the most commonly found members of the intermediate filament gene family. They are expressed in single layer epithelial tissues of the body. Mutations in this gene have been linked to cryptogenic cirrhosis. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.

Gem-Associated Protein 6 (GEMIN6) is a member of a large macromolecular complex, localized to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, which takes part in the cytoplasmic assembly of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs). SMN, GEMIN2, GEMIN3, GEMIN4, and GEMIN5 are additional members of this complex.

Cadherin 11 (CDH11) belongs to the cadherin superfamily (integral membrane proteins) which mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. CDH11 is defined based on lacking a HAV cell adhesion recognition sequence specific to type I cadherins. CDH11 protein’s expression in osteoblastic cell lines, and its upregulation during differentiation, suggests a specific function in bone development and maintenance. CDH11 contributes to the sorting of heterogeneous cell types.

Ras-related protein Rab-21 (RAB21) belongs to the Ras superfamily of small GTP-binding proteins. Rab21 is an integrin-associated protein and a positive regulator of integrin traffic. Rab21 associates with the cytoplasmic domains of alpha-integrin chains and their expression influences the endo/exocytic traffic of integrins. This function of Rab21 depends on its GTP/GDP cycle and right membrane targeting.

WWOX is a proapoptotic protein and a tumor suppressor protein. WWOX is found in all eukaryotes and involved in the regulation of a broad range of cellular functions such as protein degradation, transcription, and RNA splicing. WWOX functions synergistically with TP53/p53 to control genotoxic stress-induced cell death. WWOX takes part in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-mediated cell death. Loss of WWOX expression is associated with pancreatobiliary cancers. Reduced expression levels of WWOX protein is associated with the pathogenesis of basal-like differentiation in breast cancer. Loss of WWOX expression is associated with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. WWOX gene alteration is an early genetic alteration contributes to oral carcinogenesis. WWOX induces apoptosis and inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth through a mechanism enhanced by JNK inhibition.

RPL23A is a ribosomal protein which is a component of the 60S subunit. Ribosomes, the organelles which catalyze protein synthesis, consist of a small 40S subunit and a large 60S subunit. Together these subunits are composed of 4 RNA species and approximately 80 structurally different proteins. RPL23A is a member of the L23P family of ribosomal proteins. It is located in the cytoplasm. Recombinant Human Ribosomal Protein L23A may be one of the target molecules involved in mediating growth inhibition. The corresponding protein binds to a specific site on the 26S rRNA in yeast.

Mediator of ErbB2-driven cell motility 1 (MEMO1) is a member of the UPF0103 family. MEMO1 regulates cell migration by transmitting extracellular chemotactic signals to the microtubule cytoskeleton. Furthermore, MEMO1 controls the localization of APC and CLASP2 to the cell membrane, using the regulation of GSK3B activity. MEMO1 is essential for breast carcinoma cell migration, suggesting a key role in tumorigenesis. MEMO1 is also a mediator of ERBB2 signaling.

Mouse CXCL16 is a nonELR motif including CXC chemokine with a transmembrane domain. Mouse CXCL16 cDNA encodes a 246 a.a. precursor protein with a putative 26 a.a. residue signal peptide, an 88 a.a. residue chemokine domain, an 87 a.a. residue mucinlike spacer region, a 22 a.a. residue transmembrane domain, and a 23 a.a. residue cytoplasmic tail.
CXCL16 induces a strong chemotactic response and calcium mobilization. Furthermore, CXCL16 acts as a scavenger receptor on macrophages, which specifically binds to OxLDL (oxidized low density lipoprotein), suggesting that it may be involved in pathophysiology such as atherogenesis.
Mouse CXCL16 is generated by dendritic cells in lymphoid organ T cell zones as well as by cells in the splenic red pulp both as membranebound and soluble forms. CXCR6/Bonzo (STRL33 and TYMSTR) is the receptor for CXCL16. CXCL16 is expressed in the spleen, lymph nodes, and Peyer patches. It is also expressed in non-lymphoid tissues such as lung, kidney, small intestine, and thymus, with weak expression in heart and liver and no expression in brain and purified B- and T-cells.
CXCL16 deficiency is linked to breast cancer progression. In addition, CXCL16 is involved in immunological liver injury by regulating T lymphocyte infiltration in liver tissue. Furtheremore, CXCL16 has a distinctive role in the maintenance of cardiac allograft tolerance mediated by natural killer T cells. Moreover, CXCL16 has a significant role in not only the production of IFN-gamma by NKT cells, but also promotion of Th1-inclined immune responses mediated by NKT cells.