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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.

HSPB11 is a component of IFT complex B composed of IFT88, IFT57, TRAF3IP1, IFT52, IFT27, HSPB11 and IFT20. HSPB11 is detected in the placenta.

SKP1 is a F-box enzyme which functions as a substrate recognition component of the SCF ubiquitin ligase complex which controls the ubiquitination of proteins involved in cell cycle progression, signal transduction and transcription. SKP1 binds to proteins containing an F-box motif, such as cyclin F, S-phase kinase-associated protein 2, and other regulatory proteins involved in ubiquitin dependent proteolysis. SKP1 takes part in the control of beta-catenin levels and the activity of beta-catenin dependent TCF transcription factors. SKP1 serves as an adapter that links the F-box protein to CUL1 in the SCF complex.

Ephrin-B3 (EFNB3) which belongs to the ephrin gene family is essential in brain development as well as in its maintenance. EFNB3 binds to, and induces the collapse of, commissural axons/growth cones in vitro. EFNB3 loosely binds Eph receptors located on bordering cells, leading to contact-dependent bidirectional signaling into neighboring cells. The EPH and EPH-related receptors comprise the largest subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases and are implicated in mediating developmental events, mostly in the nervous system.

CCL28 is part of the subfamily of small cytokine CC genes. CCL28 shows chemotactic activity for resting CD4 or CD8 T cells and eosinophils. CCL28 binds to chemokine receptors CCR3 and CCR10. CCL28 is involved in the physiology of extracutaneous epithelial tissues, including diverse mucosal organs. CCL28 mediates mucosal immunity in HIV exposure and infection. CCL28 is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases.
Human CCL28 cDNA encodes a 127 amino acid residue precursor protein with a putative 22 amino acid residue signal peptide that is cleaved to produce the 105 amino acid residue mature protein. Human and mouse CCL28 are highly conserved, sharing 83% amino acid identity in their mature regions. CCL28 shares the most homology with CCL27/CTACK. Human and mouse CCL28 RNA expression was found to be highest in normal and pathologic colon with the protein being expressed by epithelial cells. Human CCL28 RNA was also present in normal and asthmatic lung tissues.

ISG15 ubiquitin-like Modifier is conjugated to the intracellular target proteins after IFN-alpha or IFN-beta stimulation. ISG15 enzymatic pathway is partially distinct from that of ubiquitin, differing in substrate specificity and interaction with ligating enzymes. ISG15 conjugation pathway uses a dedicated E1 enzyme, but seems to converge with the ub conjugation pathway at the level of a specific E2 enzyme. ISG15 protein targets include STAT1, SERPINA 3G/SPI2A, JAK1, MAPK3/ERK1, PLCG1, EIF2AK2/PKR, MX1/MXA, and RIG-1. Deconjugated by USP18/UBP43 shows specific chemotactic activity towards neutrophils and activates them to induce release of eosinophil chemotactic factors. ISG15 serves as a trans-acting binding factor directing the association of ligated target proteins to intermediate filaments. ISG15 plays a role in autocrine, paracrine and endocrine mechanisms, as in cell-to-cell signaling, possibly partly by inducing ifn-gamma secretion by monocytes and macrophages. ISG15 displays antiviral activity during viral infections. ISG15 in response to IFN-TAU secreted by the conceptus, ligates to and regulate proteins involved in the release of prostaglandin F2-alpha and thus prevent lysis of the corpus luteum and maintain the pregnancy. ISG15 shares several common properties with other ubiquitin-like molecules, but its activity is strongly regulated by precise signaling pathways that have a role in innate immunity.

Prolactin-inducible protein (PIP) is a main protein component of benign breast gross cysts. PIP is a famous indicator of breast cancer, since it is found in around 50% of all breast cancer specimens. PIP is expressed in exocrine glands, in pathologic conditions, in breast cysts and breast cancers exhibiting apocrine features. PIP and prostate specific antigen are co-expressed in androgen receptor-positive breast tumours.

Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha (PITPNA) is found in the cytoplasm, where it catalyzes the transfer of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) between membranes. PITPNA belongs to a family of lipid-binding proteins which transfer molecules of phosphatidylinositol or phosphatidylcholine between membrane surfaces. PITPNA is implicated in phospholipase C signaling and in the production of phosphatidylinositol 3, 4, 5-trisphosphate (PIP3) by phosphoinositide-3-kinase.

Ferritin is a fairly large, iron-storage heteropolymeric protein composed of 2 subunit types, light Ferritin & heavy Ferritin polypeptides, which is expressed in most kinds of cells and co-assemble in different proportion in a tissue-specific manner. Ferritin is composed of 24 self-assembled polypeptide subunits of the heavy and light ferritin chains and is characterized by the capacity to remove Fe (II) from solution in the presence of oxygen.
Ferritin light polypeptide protein is the main intracellular iron storage protein in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Variation in ferritin subunit composition influence the rates of iron uptake and release in various tissues. A key function of ferritin is the storage of iron in a soluble and nontoxic state. Defects in this light chain ferritin gene are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases and hyper ferrit anemia-cataract syndrome.
Ferritin stores iron in a soluble, nontoxic, readily accessible form. Ferritin is needed for iron homeostasis. Iron is taken up in the ferrous form and deposited as ferric hydroxides after it has been oxidized.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein(C/EBP) g is a family of transcription factors all contain a highly conserved, basic-leucine zipper domain at the C-terminus that is involved in dimerization and DNA binding. C/EBP family of transcription factors regulates viral and cellular CCAAT/enhancer element-mediated transcription. C/EBP family consist of several related proteins, C/EBP a,b,g,d, that form homodimers and/or form heterodimers with each other. C/EBP proteins contain the bZIP region, which is characterized by two motifs in the C-terminal half of the protein; a basic region involved in DNA binding and a leucine zipper motif involved in dimerization. C/EBP g may cooperate with Fos to bind PRE- enhancer elements.

TSSC4 is a member of the TSSC4 family. TSSC4 protein is one of quite a few tumor-suppressing subtransferable fragments found in the imprinted gene domain of 11p15.5, a significant tumor-suppressor gene section. Modifications in this section are linked to the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, rhabdomyosarcoma, Wilms tumor, adrenocortical carcinoma, and breast, ovarian, and lung cancer. TSSC4 takes part in malignancies and disease that include this section in addition to hematopoietic cell function. TSSC4 is broadly expressed in virtually all adult tissues, and is found in fetal liver, brain, lung and kidney.

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(z) subunit alpha (GNAZ) belongs to the G protein subfamily which mediates signal transduction in pertussis toxin-insensitive systems. GNAZ has a role in maintaining the ionic balance of perilymphatic and endolymphatic cochlear fluids. G proteins are involved as modulators or transducers in a variety of transmembrane signaling systems.

Guanine Nucleotide Binding Protein Gamma 12, also known as GNG12 belongs to the Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) which are involved as a modulator or transducer in a variety of transmembrane signaling systems. In addition, the beta as well as gamma chains are essential for the GTPase activity, for replacement of GDP by GTP, and also for G protein-effector interaction.

VPS28 is a subunit of the ESCRT-I complex (endosomal complexes required for transport) involved in the sorting of ubiquitinated proteins. VPS28 is involved in endosomal sorting of cell surface receptors using a multivesicular body/late endosome pathway. VSP28 binding with the TSG101 may have significant roles in budding of Retroviruses, such as HIV-1 and Ebola virus.
VSP28 interacts with TSG101, VPS37B, VPS37C, FAM125A and FAM125B, and also with VPS36, this interaction mediates the association with the ESCRT-II complex. Furthermore it interacts with SNF8 and VPS25 and CEP55.

Zinc Finger Protein 689 (ZNF689) is a member of the krueppel C2H2-type zinc-finger protein family. The ZNF689 protein contains 12 C2H2-type zinc fingers and 1 KRAB domain. ZNF689 may be involved in transcriptional regulation.

Midkine (MK) is the product of a retinoic acid responsive gene. 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.

a-Synuclein (amino acids 1-140), an acidic neuronal protein of 140 amino acids, is extremely heat-resistant and is natively unfolded with an extended structure primarily composed of random coils. a-synuclein has been suggested to be implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, and more recently, to be an important regulatory component of vesicular transport in neuronal cells. Moreover, recent studies have shown that a-synuclein has chaperone activity and that this activity is lost upon removing its C-terminal acidic tail (amino acids 96-140).

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.

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 1 (CCL1) is a small glycoprotein secreted by activated T cells that belongs to a family inflammatory cytokines known as chemokines. CCL1 attracts monocytes, NK cells, and immature B cells and dendritic cells by interacting with a cell surface chemokine receptor called CCR8. This chemokine resides in a large cluster of CC chemokines on human chromosome 17.

AMRC10 is a protein which contains an armadillo repeat and transmembrane domain. Upregulation of the AMRC10 gene has a role in hepatocellular carcinoma. AMRC10 decreases the transcriptional activity of the tumor suppressor protein p53 through direct interaction with the DNA-binding domain of p53, moreover it might play a role in cell growth and survival.

Human thyrostimulin ranks among the glycoprotein hormone family. These hormones consist of two subunits, the common alpha- and specific beta-subunits, which associate noncovalently to form a heterodimer. The alpha-subunit combines with four distinct beta-subunits giving rise to four biologically active hormones in human: FSH, LH, TSH, and CG. FSH, LH, and TSH, mainly expressed in the anterior pituitary, are essential for coordinated endocrine regulation in the hypothalamus- pituitary axis and show to activate specific G protein–coupled receptors in the thyroid (TSH receptor) and gonads (LH and FSH receptors), respectively.
The heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones have only been identified in vertebrates and are highly conserved in organisms from primitive rayfin fish (Chondrostei) to human in both primary sequences and functional characteristics.
Corticotroph-derived glycoprotein hormone (CGH), also referred to as thyrostimulin, is a noncovalent heterodimer of glycoprotein hormone alpha 2 (GPHA2) and glycoprotein hormone beta 5 (GPHB5).
Recombinant A2/B5 heterodimeric glycoproteins activates human TSH receptors, but not LH and FSH receptors, and shows high affinity to TSH receptors in a radioligand receptor assay. The heterodimer also stimulates cAMP production and thymidine incorporation by cultured thyroid cells and increases serum thyroxine levels in TSH-suppressed rats in vivo. This new heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone was named as thyrostimulin based on its thyroid-stimulating activity. The expression of thyrostimulin in the anterior pituitary known to express TSH receptors suggested a paracrine mechanism.

PSMB1 is part of the proteasome B-type family, also identified as the T1B family, that is a 20S core beta subunit. PSMB1 is tightly linked to the TBP (TATA-binding protein) gene in human and in mouse, and is transcribed in the opposite orientation in both species.The main function of PSMB1 is its degradation activity of unnecessary or damaged proteins by proteolysis. PSMB1 is a multicatalytic proteinase complex which is characterized by its ability to cleave peptides with arg, phe, tyr, leu, and glu adjacent to the leaving group at neutral or slightly basic ph. the proteasome has an atp-dependent proteolytic activity.

Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 3 (CXCL3) is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family that is also known as GRO3 oncogene (GRO3), GRO protein gamma (GROg) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2-beta (MIP2b). CXCL3 controls migration and adhesion of monocytes and mediates it effects on its target cell by interacting with a cell surface chemokine receptor called CXCR2. The gene for CXCL3 is located on chromosome 4 in a cluster of other CXC chemokines.

Cysteine-Rich Secretory Protein 2 (CRISP2) regulates some ion channels activity and thereby regulates calcium fluxes during sperm capacitation. Amongst its related pathways are p53 signaling. Diseases related with CRISP2 include epididymitis and orchitis.