Search results

Borrelia belongs to a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. Borrelia causes borreliosis, which is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted mainly 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 main Borrelia species causing Lyme disease are Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. The Borrelia genus members have a linear chromosome which is about 900 kbp in length as well as an excess of both linear and circular plasmids in the 5-220 kbp size range. The plasmids are atypical, as compared to most bacterial plasmids, since they contain many paralogous sequences, a large number of pseudogenes and, in some cases, essential genes. Moreover, a number of the plasmids have features suggesting that they are prophages.

Borrelia belongs to a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum. Borrelia causes borreliosis, which is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted mainly 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 main Borrelia species causing Lyme disease are Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia garinii. The Borrelia genus members have a linear chromosome which is about 900 kbp in length as well as an excess of both linear and circular plasmids in the 5-220 kbp size range. The plasmids are atypical, as compared to most bacterial plasmids, since they contain many paralogous sequences, a large number of pseudogenes and, in some cases, essential genes. Moreover, a number of the plasmids have features suggesting that they are prophages.

BPNT1 belongs to the magnesium-dependent, lithium-sensitive phosphomono-esterase superfamily. BPNT1 catalyzes the conversion of PAPS (adenosine 3'-phosphate 5' phosphosulfate) to APS (adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate) and the conversion of PAP (3'(2')-phosphoadenosine 5' phosphate) to AMP (adenosine 5'-phosphate) using magnesium as a cofactor. BPNT1 is expressed everywhere but at maximum levels in brain and kidney. BPNT1 is potently inhibited by lithium, a drug used for the treatment of manic depression and bipolar affective disorder, which suggests that BPNT1 has a possible role in the etiology of mood disorders.

PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB and PDGF-AB, are potent mitogens for a variety of cell types including smooth muscle cells, connective tissue cells, bone and cartilage cells, and some blood cells. The PDGF is stored in platelet alpha-granules and released upon platelet activation. The PDGF is involved in a number of biological processes, including hyperplasia, chemotaxis, embryonic neuron development, and respiratory tubule epithelial cell development. Two distinct signaling receptors used by PDGF have been identified and named PDGFR-alpha and PDGFR-beta. PDGFR-alpha is high-affinity receptor for each of the three PDGF forms. On the other hand, PDGFR-beta interacts with only PDGF-BB and PDGF-AB.

Placental Lactogen is a polypeptide hormone that is produced by the Syncytiotrophoblasts of the Placenta.Placental Lactogen has both GH and Prolactin activities on growth, lactation, and luteal steroid production. In women, placental lactogen secretion begins soon after implantation and increases to 1 g or more a day in late pregnancy. Placental Lactogen Bovine is also capable of activating human and other heterologous GH receptors.

The gene for TNFRSF12A was initially recognized as a fibroblast growth factor inducible immediate early response gene Fn14 in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Human TNFRSF12A cDNA encodes a 129 amino acid residue type I transmembrane protein with a 27 aa signal peptide, a 53 aa extracellular domain, a 21 aa transmembrane domain and a 28 aa cytoplasmic domain. Human and mouse TNFRSF12A hold 82% aa sequence identity. TNFRSF12 is the tiniest member of the TNF receptor superfamily and has only one cysteine rich region in its extracellular domain. The TNFRSF12A cytoplasmic domain holds one TRAF binding motif which binds TRAFs 1, 2, and 3. TNFRSF12A binds its ligand TWEAK/TNFSF12A with high affinity to initiate a signal transduction cascade which subject to the cell type, causes different cellular responses such as cell death, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis.

Kallikreins are a subgroup of serine proteases having various physiological functions. Numerous kallikreins are involved in carcinogenesis. Kallikrein-11 (KLK11) which is a multifunctional protease is 1 of the 15 kallikrein subfamily members found in a cluster on chromosome 19. KLK11 cleaves synthetic peptides after arginine but not lysine residues.

Tryptase alpha/beta-1 (TPSAB1) is a tryptase which is the key neutral protease present in mast cells and is discharged upon the coupled activation-degranulation response of this cell type. TPSAB1 is enzymatically active only as a heparin-stabilized tetramer, and is resistant to all known endogenous proteinase inhibitors. TPSAB1 is implicated as a mediator in the pathogenesis of asthma and other allergic and inflammatory disorders.

CD81 antigen isoform 1, also known as CD81, is part of the tetraspanin family. CD81 interacts directly with immunoglobulin superfamily member 8 (IGSF8, CD316) and CD36. In B cells, CD81 is part of a complex with CD21, CD19 and Leu13. Furthermore, this complex decreases the threshold for B cell activation through B cell receptors by linking Ag specific recognition and CD21 mediator recognition. While on T cells CD81 connects with CD4 and CD8 and provides a costimulatory signal with CD3.

FGF-23 is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. FGF family members possess broad mitogenic and cell survival activities and are involved in a variety of biological processes including embryonic development, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth and invasion. FGF-23 inhibits renal tubular phosphate transport. The FGF-23 gene was identified by its mutations associated with autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR), an inherited phosphate wasting disorder. Abnormally high level expression of FGF-23 was found in oncogenic hypophosphatemic osteomalacia (OHO), a phenotypically similar disease caused by abnormal phosphate metabolism. FGF-23 mutations have also been shown to cause familial tumoral calcinosis with hyperphosphatemia.

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.

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) also known as matrilysin and PUMP (EC 3.4.24.23) cleaves a number of substrates including collagen types IV and X, elastin, fibronectin, gelatin, laminin and proteoglycans. MMP-7 is closely related to the stromelysin family members but is encoded by a different gene. MMP-7 is the smallest of all the MMPs consisting of a pro-peptide domain and a catalytic domain. It lacks the hemopexin-like domain common to other members of the MMPs. MMP-7 is secreted as a 28 kDa proenzyme and can be activated in vitro by organomercurials and trypsin and in vivo by MMP-3 to a 18 kDa active MMP-7 enzyme. Once activated, MMP-7 can activate pro-MMP-1 and pro-MMP-9 but not pro-MMP-2. MMP-7 is widely expressed having been reported in elevated levels in cycling endometrium as well as in colorectal cancers and adenomas, hepatocellular carcinomas, rectal carcinomas, and approximately 50% of gliomas.

DNA polymerase beta (POLB) is a member of the DNA polymerase type-X family. In eukaryotic cells, POLB performs base excision repair necessary for DNA maintenance, replication, recombination, and drug resistance. POLB has 2 separate domains; the larger is the polymerase domain itself, whereas a small basic N-terminal domain contains an AP lyase activity which excises the abasic sugar-phosphate residue at the strand break. POLB fills single nucleotide gaps in DNA produced by the base excision repair pathway of mammalian cells. POLB overexpression, as seen in some human tumors, could convene an increase in spontaneous mutagenesis.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) is an enzyme that scavenges exogenous and endogenous cytidine and 2'-deoxycytidine for UMP synthesis. CDA is one of several deaminases responsible for maintaining the cellular pyrimidine pool. CDA also catalyzes the deamination of chemotherapeutic cytosine nucleoside analogs such as Ara-C and 5-azacytidine, which results in the loss of their cytotoxic and antitumor function. CDA can form homotetramers and is generally expressed in granulocytes. Mutations in the CDA gene are linked to decreased sensitivity to the cytosine nucleoside analogue cytosine arabinoside used in the treatment of certain childhood leukemias.

Lysyl Oxidase also known as LOX is an extracellular copper enzyme which initiates the crosslinking of collagens and elastin. LOX catalyzes oxidative deamination of the epsilon-amino group in certain lysine and hydroxylysine residues of collagens and lysine residues of elastin. Adding up to crosslinking extracellular matrix proteins, LOX plays a part in tumor suppression. Moreover, defects in LOX are the cause of autosomal recessive cutis laxa type I, CL type I. Two transcript variants encoding dissimilar isoforms have been found for LOX.

UBL3 - a member of the ubiquitin-like family is found in the membrane. UBL3 holds two N-glycosylation sites, a C-terminal prenylation site and a protein kinase C phosphorylation site. Even though Ubiquitin-like proteins are not directly involved in protein degradation, it seems they have several mechanistic similarities to the ubiquitin pathway.

MGMT is an enzyme that repairs O-6-methylguanine, a mutagenic DNA base damaged by endogenous and environmental alkylating agents and takes part in the cellular defense against the biological effects of O-6-methylguanine in DNA. MGMT repairs alkylated guanine in DNA by stoichiometrically transferring the alkyl group at the O-6 position to a cysteine residue in the enzyme. abnormal MGMT expression correlates with the prognosis in human solid cancers. MGMT decrease of expression is correlated with methylation. The human MGMT is a negative regulator of estrogen receptor-mediated transcription upon alkylation DNA damage. MGMT promoter hypermethylation plays an important role in the early steps of colorectal carcinogenesis. Abnormal promoter hypermethylation of MGMT gene is associated with oral squamous cell carcinomas.

GDF8 is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family and the TGF-beta superfamily. This group of proteins is characterized by a polybasic proteolytic processing site which is cleaved to produce a mature protein containing seven conserved cysteine residues. The members of this family are regulators of cell growth and differentiation in both embryonic and adult tissues. This gene is thought to encode a secreted protein which negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth.

Acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (ACAT1) is an enzyme member of the membrane-bound acyltransferase family and Sterol o-acyltransferase subfamily. The ACAT1 enzyme catalyzes the reversible formation of acetoacetyl-CoA from 2 molecules of acetyl-CoA. ACAT1 plays a part in lipoprotein compilation and dietary cholesterol absorption. Added to its acyltransferase activity, ACAT1 acts as a ligase.

Guanosine-3',5'-bis(diphosphate)-pyrophosphohydrolase MESH1 (HDDC3) contains an active site for ppGpp hydrolysis and a conserved His-Asp-box motif for Mn(2+) binding. In accordance with its structure, HDDC3 effectively catalyzes the hydrolysis of guanosine 3',5'-diphosphate (ppGpp) both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, HDDC3 suppresses SpoT-deficient lethality and RelA-induced delayed cell growth in bacteria.

Alcohol dehydrogenase 1A (ADH1A) is a member of the alcohol dehydrogenase family. ADH1A has a key role in ethanol metabolism. ADH1A along with coenzyme NAD catalyzes the reversible conversion of organic alcohols to ketones or aldehydes. The physiologic function of ADH1A in the liver is the elimination of ethanol formed by microorganisms in the intestinal tract. ADH1A is monomorphic and predominant in fetal and infant livers, growing to be less active in gestation and only weakly active during adulthood.

Cathepsin-Z (CTSZ) is a lysosomal cysteine proteinase and member of the peptidase C1 family. CTSZ, which has been also known as cathepsin X and cathepsin P, exhibits carboxy-monopeptidase and carboxy-dipeptidase activities. CTSZ is expressed ubiquitously in cancer cell lines and primary tumors and, similar to other members of this family, takes part in tumorigenesis.

Short chain dehydrogenase/reductase family 16C, member5 (SDR16C5) is active in the oxidative direction as well as in the reductive one. SDR16C5 oxidizes all-trans-retinol in all-trans-retinaldehyde. No activity was detected with 11-cis-retinol or 11-cis-retinaldehyde as substrates with either NAD+/NADH or NADP+/NADPH.

High Mobility Group Nucleosomal Binding Domain 3 (HMGN3), binds thyroid hormone receptor beta, however it occurs only in the presence of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone receptors are hormone-dependent transcription factors which regulate expression of a variety of particular target genes. HMGN3 is considered to reduce the compactness of the chromatin fiber in nucleosomes, in that way enhancing transcription from chromatin templates.