Search results

Omentin is a recently recognized gene highly localized to the mental tissue (visceral adipose tissue). Omentin is present in the stromal vascular cells in the adipose tissue rather than in the adipocytes. Omentin is predominantly expressed in the visceral adipose tissue than the subcutaneous tissue, with the omentin mRNA being 150 times higher in the visceral adipose tissue. Omentin has also been detected in human blood using western blot analysis, and seems to increase insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in mice. Omentin seems to increase Akt phosphorylation irrespective of insulin presence. Its role in glucose metabolism and obesity remains to be described; an insulin-sensitizing action is possible.Differences in Omentin expression has been noted in adipose tissue from normals and patients with inflammatory bowel disease although its significance is unknown

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 is a subtype of the Influenza A virus. Subtype H5N1 is commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu. H5N1 may cause more than one influenza pandemic as it is expected to continue mutating in birds. The dominant strain of HPAI A (H5N1) evolved creating the Z genotype. It has also been called Asian lineage HPAI/A/H5N1 which is divided into 2 antigenic clades. "Clade 1 includes human and bird isolates from Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia and bird isolates from Laos and Malaysia. Clade 2 viruses were first identified in bird isolates from China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea before spreading westward to the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

Acyl-CoA Thioesterase 7 (ACOT7) belongs to the acyl coenzyme family. ACOT7 hydrolyzes the CoA thioester of palmitoyl-CoA and other long-chain fatty acids. Decreased expression of the ACOT7 protein may be linked to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

CD3 has four peptide chains (gamma, delta, epsilon and zeta) that form CD3. Defects in CD3 are associated with T cell immunodeficiency CD3 complex mediates signal transduction.

N-Acetylglucosamine Kinase (NAGK) is a part of the eukaryotic-type N-acetylglucosamine kinase family. NAGK transforms endogenous N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a main component of complex carbohydrates, from lysosomal degradation or nutritional sources into GlcNAc 6-phosphate. NAGK is a significant salvage enzyme of amino sugar metabolism in mammals which has ManNAc kinase activity.

Antioxidant enzyme Glutathione S- Transferase (GST) is thought to do the primary cellular defense mechanism against reactive oxygen species. GST reduces lipid hydroperoxides through its Se-independent glutathione peroxidase activity. The enzyme also detoxifies lipid peroxidation end products such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE).
The soluble GST is a 26 kDa protein which occurs as a dimer in all aerobic organisms. Each monomer has two domains, one that binds GSH and is an /-structure similar to thioredoxin and the other, all helical, that binds the hydrophobic substrate. The GST -fusion protein expression system is a widely used recombinant protein expression system that allows a peptide or a regulatory protein domain to be expressed as a fusion to the C-terminus of Schistosoma japonicum GST. Fusion proteins also possess GST -enzymatic activity and can undergo dimerization similar to in vivo. The fusion protein can be purified via GST -affinity column chromatography. In most cases, the desired peptides or domains are removed from GST by applying a specific protease that recognizes and cleaves the linker between the protein domain and GST. The technique has been widely used to generate different kinds of proteins for crystallization, molecular immunology studies, the production of vaccines and studies involving protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions.

BPGM is found at high concentrations in red blood cells where it binds to and decreases the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin. PGM deficiency increases the oxygen affinity of cells. BPGM is a multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes 2,3-DPG synthesis through its synthetase activity, and 2,3-DPG degradation using its phosphatase activity. BPGM has phosphoglycerate phosphomutase activity. Mutations in BPGM cause hemolytic anemia. BPGM catalyzes the reaction of EC 5.4.2.1 (mutase) and EC 3.1.3.13 (phosphatase), but with a reduced activity.

CD14 (also known lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor) is expressed strongly on monocytes and macrophage and weakly on the surface of neutrophils. CD14 is anchored to cells by linkage to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) and functions as a high affinity receptor for complexes of LPS and LPS binding protein (LBP). Soluble CD14, also binding to LPS, acts at physiological concentration as an LPS agonist and has, at higher concentrations, an LPS antagonizing effect in cell activation. CD14 has been shown to bind apoptotic cells.

Phosphoglucomutase-1 also known as PGM1 is a member of the phosphohexose mutase family. There are more than a few PGM isozymes, which catalyze the transfer of phosphate between the 1&6positions of glucose. In nearly all cell types, PGM1 isozymes predominate, representing around 90% of total PGM activity.It has been found that defects in PGM1 are the cause of glycogen storage disease type 14.

KCTD15 protein is encoded in humans by the KCTD15 gene. KCTD15 is expressed at a high level in the brain and the hypothalamus. The potassium channel KCTD15 was identified as a genetic loci linked to higher than normal BMI in humans along with genes such as GNPDA2, MTCH2, FTO, and TMEM18. SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphisms) in non-diabetic and diabetic patients showed that FTO was most strongly associated with obesity while MTCH2 and GNPDA2 were still notably associated with higher than normal BMI levels.

CD1a is a transmembrane glycoproteins, which is structurally related to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins and form heterodimers with beta-2-microglobulin. CD1a mediates the presentation of primarily lipid and glycolipid antigens of self or microbial origin to T cells. The human genome contains five CD1 family genes organized in a cluster on chromosome 1. The CD1 family members are thought to differ in their cellular localization and specificity for particular lipid ligands. The protein encoded by this gene localizes to the plasma membrane and to recycling vesicles of the early endocytic system. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been observed, but their biological validity has not been determined.

GAPDH is a catalytic enzyme normally known to play a role in glycolysis. GAPDH exists as a tetramer composed of 36-kDa subunits and has a range of intracellular functions. GAPDH catalyzes the reversible reduction of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphophate in the presence of NADPH. Besides functioning as a glycolytic enzyme in cytoplasm, GAPDH has function in intracellular processes such as membrane fusion, microtubule bundling, phosphotransferase activity, nuclear RNA export, DNA replication and DNA repair. GAPDH catalyzes a vital energy-yielding step in carbohydrate metabolism, the reversible oxidative phosphorylation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate in the presence of inorganic phosphate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). The enzyme exists as a tetramer of identical chains.

Human Pin 1 is a peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) that interacts with NIMA and essential for cell cycle regulation Pin1 is nuclear PPIase containing a WW protein interaction domain, and is structurally and functionally related to Ess1/Ptf1, an essential protein in budding yeast. PPIase activity is necessary for Ess1/Pin1 function in yeast. Pin1 is thus an essential PPIase that regulates mitosis presumably by interacting with NIMA and attenuating its mitosis-promoting activity. Substrates of Pin1 include the mitotic regulators (Cdc25 phosphatase and NIMA, PLK I, Wee, and Myt1 kinases), several transcription factors like β-Catenin, c-Jun, and the tumor suppressor protein p53, and some specific proteins like the RNA Pol II, the cytoskeleton protein tau, and the G1/S protein Cyclin D1.

NFATC1 is a component of the nuclear factor of activated T cells DNA-binding transcription complex. This complex consists of at least 2 components: a preexisting cytosolic component that translocates to the nucleus upon T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation, and an inducible nuclear component. Proteins belonging to this family of transcription factors play an essential role in inducible gene transcription during immune response. NFATC1 is an inducible nuclear component. NFATC1 functions as a major molecular target for the immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporin A. Different isoforms of NFATC1 may regulate inducible expression of different cytokine genes.

rGFP, also known as Green Fluorescent Protein, is a protein produced by the jellyfish (Aequorea Victoria) that produces bioluminescence in the green zone of the noticeable spectrum. Green Fluorescent Protein is a useful and ubiquitous instrument for producing chimeric proteins, where it functions as a fluorescent protein tag. rGFP is expressed in most known cell types and is used as a noninvasive fluorescent marker in living cells and organisms. Green Fluorescent Protein permits a broad range of applications where it has functioned as a cell lineage tracer, reporter of gene expression, or as a measure of protein-protein interactions.

GH is a member of the somatotropin/prolactin family of hormones which play an important role in growth control. The gene, along with four other related genes, is located at the growth hormone locus on chromosome 17 where they are interspersed in the same transcriptional orientation; an arrangement which is thought to have evolved by a series of gene duplications. The five genes share a remarkably high degree of sequence identity. Alternative splicing generates additional isoforms of each of the five growth hormones, leading to further diversity and potential for specialization. This particular family member is expressed in the pituitary but not in placental tissue as is the case for the other four genes in the growth hormone locus. Mutations in or deletions of the gene lead to growth hormone deficiency and short stature.

SARS Coronavirus is an enveloped virus containing three outer structural proteins, namely the membrane (M), envelope (E), and spike (S) proteins. Spike (S)-glycoprotein of the virus interacts with a cellular receptor and mediates membrane fusion to allow viral entry into susceptible target cells. Accordingly, S-protein plays an important role in virus infection cycle and is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies.It has recently been shown that SARS is caused by a human coronavirus. Human coronaviruses are the major cause of upper respiratory tract illness in humans, such as the common cold. Coronaviruses are positive-stranded RNA viruses, featuring the largest viral RNA genomes known to date (27-31 kb). The first step in coronavirus infection is binding of the viral spike protein, a 139-kDa protein, to certain receptors on host cells. The spike protein is the main surface antigen of the coronavirus. The most prominent protein in the culture supernatants infected with SARS virus is a 46 kDa nucleocapsid protein. This suggests that the nucleocapsid protein is a major immunogen that may be useful for early diagnostics.

CISD1 protein holds a CDGSH iron-sulfur domain and is known to bind a redox-active [2Fe-2S] cluster. CISD1 is restricted to the outer membrane of mitochondria and takes part in oxidation regulation.

Myristate, a rare 14-carbon saturated fatty acid, is co-translationally attached by an amide linkage to the N-terminal glycine residue of cellular & viral proteins with various functions. N-Myristoyltransferase 1, also known as NMT1 catalyzes the transfer of myristate from CoA to proteins. NMT1 seems to be irreversible and is essential for full expression of the biologic activities of several N-myristoylated proteins, as well as the alpha subunit of the signal-transducing guanine nucleotide-binding protein, G protein.

IL-7 is a cytokine important for B and T cell development. This cytokine and the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) form a heterodimer that functions as a pre-pro-B cell growth-stimulating factor. This cytokine is found to be a cofactor for V(D)J rearrangement of the T cell receptor beta (TCRB) during early T cell development. This cytokine can be produced locally by intestinal epithelial and epithelial goblet cells, and may serve as a regulatory factor for intestinal mucosal lymphocytes. Knockout studies in mice suggested that this cytokine plays an essential role in lymphoid cell survival.

Transthyretin (TTR) is a circulating and abundant tetramer, which functions as a carrier protein of thyroid hormone and retinol binding protein. It is primarily produced in the liver, but also in the brain and eye. Mutations in the TTR gene cause the protein to dissociate into monomers that after misfolding assemble into amyloid fibrils deposits in a variety of organs. TTR is also the only gene known to be associated with familial TTR amyloidosis. The diseases that originate from mutations in the TTR gene include amyloidotic polyneuropathy, euthyroid hyperthyroxinaemia, amyloidotic vitreous opacities, cardiomyopathy, oculoleptomeningeal amyloidosis, meningocerebrovascular amyloidosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

HSP27 (also known as the Estrogen-Regulated 24K protein, and hsp 28) is a member of the mammalian small heat shock protein family. Hsp27 is expressed constitutively in many tissues and its expression is increased to high levels after various types of stress including elevated temperatures, toxic metals, drugs and oxidants. Also, Hsp27 is phosphorylated in vivo on three phosphorylation sites (Ser15, Ser78 and Ser82) by protein kinases including MAPKAP kinase 2 and the stress-activated protein kinase SAPK2 (p38).

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirusthat can lead to a condition in which the immune systembegins to fail, leading to opportunistic infections. HIV primarily infects vital cells in the humanimmune systemsuch as helper T cells(specifically CD4+ T cells), macrophagesand dendritic cells. HIV infection leads to low levels of CD4+ T cells through three main mechanisms: firstly, direct viral killing of infected cells; secondly, increased rates of apoptosisin infected cells; and thirdly, killing of infected CD4+ T cells by CD8 cytotoxic lymphocytesthat recognize infected cells. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunityis lost, and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections. HIV was classified as a member of the genus Lentivirus, part of the family of Retroviridae. Lentiviruses have many common morphologies and biological properties. Many species are infected by lentiviruses, which are characteristically responsible for long-duration illnesses with a long incubation period. Lentiviruses are transmitted as single-stranded, positive-sense, enveloped RNA viruses. Upon entry of the target cell, the viral RNA genomeis converted to double-stranded DNAby a virally encoded reverse transcriptasethat is present in the virus particle. This viral DNA is then integrated into the cellular DNA by a virally encoded integraseso that the genome can be transcribed. Once the virus has infected the cell, two pathways are possible: either the virus becomes latentand the infected cell continues to function, or the virus becomes active and replicates, and a large number of virus particles are liberated that can then infect other cells.

MCM7 is a highly conserved mini-chromosome maintenance protein (MCM) vital for eukaryotic genome replication initiation. The MCM proteins form a hexameric protein complex which is a key component of the pre-replication complex (pre_RC) which takes part in replication forks formation and in DNA replication related proteins recruitment. The MCM complex is comprised of MCM2, 4, 6 and 7 proteins and possesses DNA helicase activity, such as DNA unwinding.