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Alpha-synuclein or SNCA is a synuclein protein. SNCA mainly found in the brain, small concentration of the protein can also be located in other tissues such as heart and muscle. When looking in the brain tissue, SNCA is located in the end of the neuron, in an area called presynaptic terminal. In the presynaptic terminal SNCA has interaction with phospholipids & other proteins. Neurotransmitters are released from the synaptic vesicles in the Presynaptic terminals and act as messengers. Once released, the neurotransmitters send signals across the neurons that are crucial for the brain’s operation.

Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) is a protein tyrosine kinase which takes part in a specific subset of cytokine receptor signaling pathways such as cell growth, development, differentiation or histone modifications. JAK2 is linked with the prolactin receptor and is necessary for responses to gamma IFN. Mice which do not express an active protein for JAK2 show embryonic lethality associated with the absence of definitive erythropoiesis.

Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme E2Z, also known as UBE2z, is a protein coding gene which is a part of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family. UBE2z catalyzes the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to various proteins. UBE2z takes part in in apoptosis regulation and is also a specific substrate for UBA6, not charged with ubiquitin by UBE1.

Axin interactor, dorsalization-associated (AIDA) operates as a ventralizing factor during embryogenesis. AIDA inhibits axin-mediated JNK activation by binding axin and disrupting axin homodimerization. That in turn antagonizes a Wnt/beta-catenin-independent dorsalization pathway activated by AXIN/JNK-signaling.

Calcium-activated nucleotidase 1 (CANT1) is a member of the apyrase family. The CANT1 protein is calcium-dependent nucleotidase with a preference for UDP. The order of activity with different substrates is as follows: UDP > GDP > UTP > GTP. Moreover, CANT1 has a very low activity towards ADP and an even lower activity towards ATP. As well as it doesn’t hydrolyze AMP and GMP. CANT1’s specific function is yet unknown, nevertheless its substrates are involved in several key signaling functions, including Ca2+ release, through activation of pyrimidinergic signaling. Mutations in the CANT1 gene are linked with Desbuquois dysplasia with hand anomalies.

Streptavidin is a tetrameric protein secreted by Streptomyces avidinii which binds firmly to biotin. Streptavidin is wilyde used in molecular biology through its unique high affinity for the vitamin biotin. The dissociation constant (Kd) of the biotin-streptavidin complex is about ~10-15 mol/L. The strong affinity recognition of biotin and biotinylated molecules has made streptavidin one of the most important components in diagnostics and laboratory kits. The streptavidin/biotin system has one of the biggest free energies of association of yet observed for noncovalent binding of a protein and small ligand in aqueous solution (K_assoc = 10**14). The complexes are also extremely stable over a wide range of temperature and pH.

Yersinia enterocolitica is a Gram-negative bacillus-shaped bacterium, which is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Y.Enterocolitica is motile at temperatures between 22-29°C, however becomes non-motile at normal human body temperature. Y. Enterocolitica infection causes the yersiniosis disease, which is an animal-borne disease occurring in humans, as well as in a various groups of animals such as cattle, deer, pigs, and birds. Yersinia enterocolitica is a heterogeneous group of strains, which are conventionally classified by bio-typing into six bio-groups on the basis of phenotypic characteristics, and by serotyping into more than 57 “O” serogroups, on the basis of their O (lipopolysaccharide or LPS) surface antigen. Five of the six biogroups (1B and 2–5) are considered as pathogens. Nevertheless, only a few of these serogroups have been linked with disease in either humans or animals. Strains which belong to serogroups O:3 (biogroup 4), O:5,27 (biogroups 2 and 3), O:8 (biogroup 1B), and O:9 (biogroup 2) are most frequently isolated worldwide from human samples. Still, the main Y. enterocolitica serogroup in many European countries is serogroup O:3 followed by O:9, whereas the serogroup O:8 is mostly detected in the United States.

Endothelial cells express three different vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors, belonging to the family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). They are named VEGFR-1 (Flt-1), VEGFR-2 (KDR/Flk-1), and VEGFR-3 (Flt-4). Their expression is almost exclusively restricted to endothelial cells, but VEGFR-1 can also be found on monocytes. All VEGF-receptors have seven immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains, a single transmembrane region and an intracellular split tyrosine kinase domain. VEGFR-2 has a lower affinity for VEGF than the Flt-1 receptor, but a higher signalling activity. Mitogenic activity in endothelial cells is mainly mediated by VEGFR-2 leading to their proliferation. Differential splicing of the flt-1 gene leads to the formation of a secreted, soluble variant of VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1). No naturally occurring, secreted forms of VEGFR-2 have so far been reported. The binding of VEGF165 to VEGFR-2 is dependent on heparin.

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.

Synaptobrevin-2 or VAMP2 is a protein that has a proline-rich N-terminal part, highly conserved hydrophilic domain, a transmembrane anchor and a C-terminal.VAMP2 found in the transmembrane region of the cell, in the cytoplasmic surface of the synaptic vesicle. The protein is mainly found in the Langerhans islets in the pancreas and glomerular cells in the kidney. A SNARE complex is created within the protein’s N-terminal domain and the target membrane-associated T.

Olfactory marker protein (OMP) which is expressed in the cytoplasm of olfactory chemosensory neurons in the nasal neuroepithelium, is associated in a unique way with the mature olfactory receptor neurons in numerous vertebrate species. OMP have a modulatory part in the odor detection/signal transduction cascade ant its expression is a sign of mature vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). OMP is also a potent enhancer of mitosis in fetal olfactory epithelial cells and it promotes an increase in uptake of tritiated thymidine in liver.

CHMP2B is a member of the vacuolar sorting protein family. CHMP2B is a component of the ESCRT-III complex which is essential for sorting endosomal articles into multivesicular bodies (MVBs), and are also obligatory for the formation of these bodies. CHMP2B is usually found in brain, heart, skeletal muscle, small intestine, pancreas, lung, placenta and leukocytes.

C17ORF49 is a component of chromatin complexes such as the MLL1/MLL and NURF complexes.

Cystatin 11 (CST11) is a member of the Cystatin family. The Cystatin superfamily is comprised of proteins with multiple cystatin-like sequences. Several family members are active cysteine protease inhibitors, other family members have lost or perhaps never developed this inhibitory activity. The Cystatin superfamily consists of three inhibitory families, including the type 1 cystatins (stefins), type 2 cystatins and the kininogens. The type 2 cystatin proteins are a class of cysteine proteinase inhibitors found in a variety of human fluids and secretions. The majority of the type 2 cystatin genes and pseudogenes are contained in the cystatin locus on chromosome 20. CST11 is located in the cystatin locus and encodes an epididymal-specific protein whose specific function has not been verified yet.

Tripartite Motif Containing 28 (TRIM28) which is a member of the tripartite motif family includes 3 zinc-binding domains, a RING, a B-box type 1 and a B-box type 2, and a coiled-coil region. TRIM28 mediates transcriptional control by interaction with the Kruppel-associated box repression domain found in many transcription factors. TRIM28 is restricted to the nucleus and connected with particular chromatin regions.

WIF1 binds to wnt proteins and inhibits their activities. WIF1 plays a role in mesoderm segmentation. WNT proteins are extracellular signaling molecules that take part in the control of embryonic development & cancer. WIF1 protein contains a WNT inhibitory factor (WIF) domain and 5 epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. WIF1 takes part in mesoderm segmentation. WIF1 protein is found to be present in fish, amphibia and mammals. WIF1 is a recurrent target in human salivary gland oncogenesis. Downregulation of WIF1 takes part in the development and progression of pleomorphic adenomas. WIF1 is a tumor suppressor, specifically in nonfunctioning pituitary tumors.

Vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 26A (VPS26A) is a vital element of the retromer complex, which is required to recover lysosomal enzyme receptors (IGF2R and M6PR) from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network. Furthermore, VPS26A is essential in the regulation of transcytosis of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR-pIgA). Expression analysis in yeast and mammalian cells reveal that VPS26A interacts directly with VPS35 that functions as the core of the retromer complex.

Coatomer Protein Complex SubunitEpsilon, also known as COPE is an epsilon subunit of coatomer protein complex. Coatomer is a cytosolic protein complex which binds to dilysine motifs and reversibly links with Golgi non-clathrin-coated vesicles. COPE is necessary forbudding from Golgi membranes, and is also essential for the retrograde Golgi-to-ER transport of dilysine-taggedproteins. Coatomer complex contain at least the alpha, beta, beta', gamma, delta, epsilon and zeta subunits. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding dissimilar isoforms have been identifiedfor COPE.

The adipose tissue exclusively expresses and secretes Adiponectin (Acrp30). Acrp30 is involved in various physiological processes such as energy homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, hormonal processes, fatty acid metabolism and obesity.
Adiponectin circulates in the plasma. Decreased levels of Adiponectin are associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, as seen in people with obesity insulin resistance, and diabetes type 2, whose plasma levels of adiponectin are reduced.
The modular structure of Acrp30 is comprised of N-terminal collagenous domain followed by a C-terminal globular domain.
Acrp30 also acts as a significant negative regulator in hematopoiesis and immune systems; it may be involved in ending inflammatory responses through its inhibitory functions. Adiponectin inhibits endothelial NF-kappa-b signaling through a cAMP-dependent pathway, it also inhibits TNF-alpha- induced expression of endothelial adhesion molecules.

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Binding Protein or CRHBP is a hormone that stimulates the preopiomelanocortin-derived peptides secretion & synthesis. In general, the levels of CRHBP in the human plasma are relatively low. There are times when we can find high levels of the hormone, mainly in pregnancy, after parturition the levels drop back, the high levels are thought to be derived from the placenta. CRH-binding protein can be found in the plasma, this protein inactivates CRH, in order to avoid inappropriate pituitary-adrenal stimulation during gestation.

Neuroglobin, 151 amino acid residue protein, mainly expressed in vertebrate brain and retina, is a recently identified member of the globin superfamily. Augmenting O (2) supply, neuroglobin promotes survival of neurons upon hypoxic injury, potentially limiting brain damage. Moreover, neuroglobin may be a novel oxidative stress-responsive sensor for signal transduction in the brain. Neuroglobin expression is increased by neuronal hypoxia in vitro and focal cerebral ischemia in vivo, and neuronal survival after hypoxia is reduced by inhibiting neuroglobin expression with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide and enhanced by neuroglobin overexpression.

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.

Lin7A is a member of the lin-7 family. Lin7A is comprised of one L27 domain and one PDZ (DHR) domain. Lin7A plays a part in launching and maintaining the asymmetric distribution of channels and receptors at the plasma membrane of polarized cells. Lin7A is expressed in the brain, testis, kidney, placenta and liver.

L-Selectin belongs to a family of divalent cation-dependent carbohydrate-binding glycoproteins or adhesion molecules. The L-Selectin molecule is composed of various domains: one homologous to lectins, one to epidermal growth factor, and two to the consensus repeat units found in C3/C4 binding proteins.
L-selectin is expressed constitutively on lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes and interacts specifically with carbohydrate groups on activated endothelial cells. L-Selectin may be shed by proteolytic cleavage and circulating levels in biological fluids may be used as an indicator of various pathological conditions. L-Selectin is cleaved by ADAM17.
L-selectin works as a "homing receptor" for leukocytes to enter secondary lymphoid tissues via the high endothelial venules. Ligands present on endothelial cells will attach to leukocytes expressing L-selectin, which causes the leukocytes to become localized at that juncture. The receptor is also located on the cell surfaces of "naive" T cells, which have not yet encountered their particular antigen. This surface expression is lost following the cells activation.