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TNFSF15 is a cytokine that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. This protein is abundantly expressed in endothelial cells, but is not expressed in either B or T cells. The expression of TNFSF15 is inducible by TNF and IL-1 alpha. This cytokine is a ligand for receptor TNFRSF25 and decoy receptor TNFRSF21/DR6. It can activate NF-kappaB and MAP kinases, and acts as an autocrine factor to induce apoptosis in endothelial cells. TNFSF15 is also found to inhibit endothelial cell proliferation, and thus may function as an angiogenesis inhibitor. An additional isoform encoded by an alternatively spliced transcript variant has been reported but the sequence of this transcript has not been determined.

Transforming growth factor betas (TGFBetas) mediate many cell-cell interactions that occur during embryonic development. Three TGFBetas have been identified in mammals. TGFBeta1, TGFBeta2 and TGFBeta3 are each synthesized as precursor proteins that are very similar in that each is cleaved to yield a 112 amino acid polypeptide that remains associated with the latent portion of the molecule.

PLA2G7 is a secreted enzyme which catalyzes the degradation of platelet-activating factor to biologically inactive products. The PLA2G7 enzyme is produced by inflammatory cells and hydrolyzes oxidised phospholipids in LDL. In the blood, PLA2G7 goes mainly with LDL and less than 20% is coupled with HDL.
PLA2G7 is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis and is also a marker for cardiac disease. PLA2G7 might have a major physiologic effect in the presence of inflammatory bodily responses.
PLA2G7 alters the action of PAF (platelet-activating factor) by hydrolyzing the sn-2 ester bond to yield the biologically inactive lyso-PAF. PLA2G7 has specificity for substrates with a short residue at the sn-2 position. PLA2G7 is inactive against long-chain phospholipids.
PLA2G7 gene defects are the source of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase deficiency, which is a trait that is present in 27% of the Japanese population.

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.

TRAIL Receptor-4 Human Recombinant or TNFRSF10D, is part of the TNF-receptor superfamily. TNFRSF10D has atruncated cytoplasmic death domai , an extracellular TRAIL-binding domain and a transmembrane domain. The protein can prevent from TRAIL-mediated apoptosis on cells with TRAIL R1 and/or TRAIL R2.

Overexpression of the HIF1AN is linked with tumor aggressiveness in pancreatic endocrine tumors. HIF1AN hydroxylates Notch ICD at two residues that are crucial for the function of Notch ICD as a transactivator within cells and during neurogenesis and myogenesis. HIF1AN is commonly expressed in invasive breast carcinoma. The hypoxic response and survival recommends that tumour regulation of HIF1AN is an additional important mechanism for HIF pathway activation. HIF1AN is an asparaginyl hydroxylase enzyme that controls the transcriptional activity of hypoxia-inducible factor. FIH1 is a part of the Fe2+ and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily, FIH1 is protein that hydoxylates a specific asparagine residue (Asn-803) within the HIF1A C-terminal transactivation domain. In normoxia, the HIF1AN-mediated hydroxylation of the HIF1? transactivation domain which results in blockage of the HIF1A-p300/CBP interaction and represses transcriptional activity of HIF1A targeted genes.

Transforming growth factor betas (TGFBetas) mediate many cell-cell interactions that occur during embryonic development. Three TGFBetas have been identified in mammals. TGFBeta1, TGFBeta2 and TGFBeta3 are each synthesized as precursor proteins that are very similar in that each is cleaved to yield a 112 amino acid polypeptide that remains associated with the latent portion of the molecule.

Fibroblast Growth Factor-19 (FGF-19) is a member of the FGF family. FGF-19 interacts with FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3 and FGFR4. T FGF-19 takes part in the suppression of bile acid biosynthesis through downregulation of CYP7A1 expression, following positive regulation of the JNK and EPK1/2 cascades. FGF-19 stimulates glucose uptake in adiposytes and is a high affinity, heparin dependent ligand for FGFR4.

PEX19 is vital for peroxisome biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PEX19 is limited to the outer surface of peroxisomes in liver cells and is has a part in the early stage of peroxisome membrane assembly, prior to the import of matrix protein.

NELFE is a vital component of NELF complex which represses RNA polymerase II transcript elongation. NELFE is similar to nuclear RNA-binding proteins but does not bind RNA. NELFE contains a tract of alternating basic and acidic residues, mainly arginine and aspartic acid.

KLF3 belongs to the Sp1-like/KLF family. KLFs is a family of evolutionarily conserved zinc finger-having transcription factors with various regulatory purposes in cell growth, embryogenesis, proliferation and differentiation. KLF3 is Kruppel-like zinc finger which contain transcription factors and take part in hematopoiesis.

Cytochrome c oxidase assembly factor 4 (COA4) is the last enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain which needs a great number of accessory factors. COA4 is vital for oxidative phosphorylation and comprises multiple complexes including cytochrome c oxidase, assembled in macromolecular supercomplexes. COX4 is a protein-coding gene which defect in it causes an acute human encephalomyopathies.

Uromodulin (Tamm–Horsfall protein) is produced mainly by cells in the kidney’s thick ascending limb and is the most abundant protein in normal urine.
Uromodulin takes part in salt and water regulation, helps prevent urinary tract infections and kidney stones, and influences inflammation and immune activity in the kidney.
Reduced Uromodulin levels is associated with chronic kidney disease.
UMOD mutations causes unproper protein folding and thus transported incorrectly, resulting in its accumulation inside kidney tubular cells that damages the tubules and cause kidney disease (ADTKD-UMOD), associated with high uric acid, gout, and progressive kidney failure.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 8 (TNFRSF8) is a receptor for TNFSF8/CD30L. TNFRSF8 has a role in the regulation of cellular growth and transformation of activated lymphoblasts. In addition, the TNFRSF8 protein regulates gene expression via activation of NF-kappa-B. TNFRSF8 being a regulator of apoptosis, induces cell death or proliferation, depending on the cell type.

Bcl2 modifying factor, is a member of the Bcl2 protein family of apoptosis mediators. Bcl2 modifying factor is widely expressed in many tissues.
Bcl2 modifying factor contains a single Bcl2 homology domain 3 (BH3), and binds Bcl2 proteins and functions as an apoptotic activator. Also, Bcl2 modifying factor is important for histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors which alters the balance between acetylation and deacetylation, significantly increasing histone acetylation, while strongly inducing apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell types. Bcl2 modifying factor supports Bim in regulating cell death processes in response to many stimuli. A synergistic role for bim and Bcl2 modifying factor in an apoptotic pathway leading to the clearance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae -infected cells.

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), VEGFR-3 (Flt-4). Their expression is almost exclusively restricted to endothelial cells, but VEGFR-1 can also be found on monocytes, dendritic cells and on trophoblast cells. The flt-1 gene was first described in 1990. The receptor contains seven immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains, a single transmembrane region and an intracellular splited tyrosine kinase domain. Compared to VEGFR-2 the Flt-1 receptor has a higher affinity for VEGF but a weaker signaling activity. VEGFR-1 thus leads not to proliferation of endothelial cells, but mediates signals for differentiation. Interestingly a naturally occuring soluble variant of VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1) was found in HUVE supernatants in 1996, which is generated by alternative splicing of the flt-1 mRNA. The biological functions of sVEGFR-1 still are not clear, but it seems to be an endogenous regulator of angiogenesis, binding VEGF with the same affinity as the full-length receptor.

VEGF-C, also known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Related Protein (VRP), is a recently discovered VEGF growth factor family member that is most closely related to VEGF-D. Human VEGF-C cDNA encodes a pre-pro-protein of 416 amino acids residues. It is almost identical to the mouse VEGF-C protein. Similar to VEGF-D, VEGF-C has a VEGF homology domain spanning the middle third of the precursor molecule and long N- and C-terminal extensions. In adults, VEGF-C is highly expressed in heart, placenta, ovary and small intestine. Recombinant human VEGF-C, lacking the N- and C-terminal extensions and containing only the middle VEGF homology domain, forms primarily non-covalently linked dimers. This protein is a ligand for both VEGFR-2/KDR and VEGFR-3/FLT-4. Since VEGFR-3 is strongly expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells, it has been postulated that VEGF-C is involved in the regulation of the growth and/or differentiation of lymphatic endothelium. Although recombinant human VEGF-C is also a mitogen for vascular endothelial cells, it is much less potent than VEGF-A.

Epidermal growth factor has a profound effect on the differentiation of specific cells in vivo and is a potent mitogenic factor for a variety of cultured cells of both ectodermal and mesodermal origin. The EGF precursor is believed to exist as a membrane-bound molecule which is proteolytically cleaved to generate the 53-amino acid peptide hormone that stimulates cells to divide.
EGF stimulates the growth of various epidermal and epithelial tissues in vivo and in vitro and of some fibroblasts in cell culture.

Connective Tissue Growth Factor belongs to the CCN family of proteins. The CCN family presently consists of six members in human also known as: Cyr61 (Cystein rich 61), CTGF (Connective Tissue Growth Factor), Nov (Nephroblastoma Overexpressed gene), WISP-1, 2 and 3 (Wnt-1 Induced Secreted Proteins). The CCN genes encode secreted proteins associated with the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and cell membrane.
CCN proteins are matricellular proteins which are involved in the regulation of various cellular functions including: proliferation, differentiation, survival, adhesion and migration. They are expressed in derivatives of the three embryonic sheets and are implicated in the development of kidney, nervous system, muscle, bone marrow, cartilage and bone. During adulthood, they are implicated in wound healing, bone fracture repair, and pathologies such as: fibrosis, vascular ailments and tumorigenesis.
Full length secreted CCN proteins can show an antiproliferative activity, whereas truncated isoforms are likely to stimulate proliferation and behave as oncogenes.
The full length protein consists of four modules: Module I shares partial identity with the N-terminal part of the Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins (IGFBPs).
Module II includes a stretch of 70amino acid residues – which shares sequence identity with the Von Willebrand Factor Type C repeat (VWC).
Module III contains sequences sharing identity with the Thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSP1) (WSXCSXXCG), which is thought to be implicated in the binding of sulfated glycoconjugates and to be important for cell adhesion.
Module IV, also designated CT, is encoded by exon5. It is the leasts conserved one of the four domains at the level of nucleotide sequence, but it appears to be critical for several of the biological functions attributed to the CCN proteins. Module IV resembles the CT domain of several extracellular protein including, Von Willebrand's factor and mucins. Sequence similarities to heparin-binding motifs are also found within this domain.
Proteolysis of the secreted full-length CCN proteins that has been reported in the case of CCN2 and CCN3 might result in the production of CCN-derived peptides with high affinity for ligands that full-length CNN proteins bind only poorly. Amino-truncated CCN2 isoforms were biologically active whereas no specific biological activity has been attributed to the truncated CCN3. Although the molecular processes underlying the production of these secreted isoforms is presently unknown, it is important to note that proteolysis occur at the same amino acid residues in both CCN2 and CCN3. An elevated expression of CCN2 has also been detected by Northern blotting in human invasive mammary ductal carcinomas, dermatofibromas, pyogenic granuloma, endothelial cells of angiolipomas and angioleiomyomas, and in pancreatic tumors. A study performed with chondrosarcomas representative of various histological grades established that CCN2 expression was closely correlated with increasing levels of malignancy.
In agreement with CCN2 playing a role in brain tumor angiogenesis, immunocytochemistry studies indicated that both glioblastoma tumor cells and proliferating endothelial cells stained positive for CCN2. In astrocytomas, CCN2 expression was particularly elevated in high grade tumors, with a marked effect of CCN2 on cell proliferation. Downregulation of CCN2 expression in these cells was associated with a growth arrest at the G1/S transition while over-expression of CCN2 induced a two-fold increase of the number of cells in the G1 phase. Gene profiling analysis allowed to identify a set of about 50 genes whose expression might account for the proliferative activity of CCN2 in these cells.
CCN2 was seen in a higher proportion of mononuclear cells of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

CD30 Ligand (TNFSF8) is a cytokine which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family. The TNFSF8 cytokine is a ligand for TNFRSF8/CD30, which is a cell surface antigen and a marker for Hodgkin lymphoma and related hematologic malignancies. The employment of the TNFSF8 cytokine expressed on B cell surface has an inhibitory role in modulating Ig class switch. TNFSF8 enhances cell proliferation of some lymphoma cell lines, while inducing cell death and reducing cell proliferation of other lymphoma cell lines. The pleiotropic biological activities of the TNFSF8 cytokine on different CD30+ lymphoma cell lines has a pathophysiologic role in Hodgkin's and some non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Transforming Growth Factor-Alpha (TGF-alpha) belongs to the EGF family of cytokines. TGFA soluble form is discharged from the membrane by proteolytic cleavage. Membrane-bound proTGF-alpha is biologically active and has a role in cell-cell adhesion or in the stimulation of adjacent cells. TGFA expression is common in transformed cells. Additionally, TGFA is expressed in normal tissues during embryogenesis and in adult cells/tissues, including the pituitary, keratinocytes, and macrophages.

PEDF is a noninhibitory serpin with neurotrophic, anti-angiogenic, and anti-tumorigenic properties. PEDF is a 50,000 dalton glycoprotein created and secreted in many tissues all the way through the body. A key component of the anti-angiogenic action of PEDF is the induction of apoptosis in proliferating endothelial cells. Additionally, PEDF is capable to inhibit the activity of angiogenic factors such as VEGF and FGF-2. The neuro-protective effects of PEDF are achieved through suppression of neuronal apoptosis induced by peroxide, glutamate, or other neurotoxins. The recognition of a lipase-linked cell membrane receptor for PEDF (PEDF-R) that binds to PEDF with high affinity should facilitate further elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of this pluripotent serpin. To date, PEDF-R is the only signaling receptor known to be used by a serpin family member. The unique range of PEDF activities associate it as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of vasculature related neurodegenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). PEDF in addition has the potential to be functional in the treatment of various angiogenesis-related diseases including a number of cancers.

Hepatoma Derived Growth Factor-Like 1 (HDGFL1) is a member of the HDGF family and contains 1 PWWP domain.

XIAP Associated Factor 1 (XAF1) is a protein which binds to and counteracts the inhibitory effect of a member of the IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) protein family. IAP proteins bind to and inhibit caspases which are activated in the course of apoptosis. The ratio of IAPs and proteins which interfere with their activity, such as the XAF1 protein, influence the progress of the apoptosis signaling pathway. Additionally, XAF1 inhibits anti-caspase activity of BIRC4. XAF1 induces cleavage and inactivation of BIRC4 independent of caspase activation. Furthermore, XAF1 mediates TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis and is involved in apoptosis in trophoblast cells.