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EFNA1 belongs to the ephrin (EPH) family. The EPH subfamily is the biggest group of receptor protein kinases and they take part in vital nervous system function and development.

Trypsin inhibitor SPINK1 is secreted from pancreatic acinar cells into pancreatic fluid. SPINK1 has a role in inhibition of trypsin-catalyzed premature initiation of zymogens in the pancreas and the pancreatic duct. Alterations in SPINK1 gene are the cause for tropical calcific and pancreatitis hereditary pancreatitis.

Tachykinin-1 (TAC1) belongs to the tachykinin peptide hormone family. TAC1 are a family of peptides which have similar biologic activities and share a common C-terminal sequence, phe-X-gly-leu-met-NH2, however they have distinct N-terminal sequences that convey receptor specificities. TAC1 is assumed to act as neurotransmitters which interact with nerve receptors and smooth muscle cells. TAC1 induces behavioral responses and serves as vasodilators and secretagogues.

Intein is a section of a protein which can remove itself and return the remaining segment with a peptide bond. In addition, Inteins hold an endonuclease domain which takes part in Intein proliferation. Actually, various genes have unrelated intein-coding segments inserted at altered positions and they were found in all three domains of life (eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea) and in viruses.

PPIL1 belongs to the cyclophilin family of peptidylprolyl isomerases (PPIases).
The cyclophilins are a well conserved, ubiquitous family, members of which take an significant part in protein folding, immunosuppression by cyclosporin A, and infection of HIV-1 virions. PPIL1 protein increases the folding of proteins and catalyze the cis-trans isomerization of proline imidic peptide bonds in oligopeptides. PPIL1 is involved in proliferation of cancer cells through modulation of phosphorylation of stathmin. PPIL1 is a novel molecular target for colon-cancer therapy.

GLRX2 is a multifunctional enzyme with glutathione-dependent oxidoreductase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. The disulfide bond functions as an electron carrier in the glutathione-dependent synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides by the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. In addition, it is also involved in reducing cytosolic protein- and non-protein-disulfides in a coupled system with glutathione reductase. Required for resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) by directly reducing hydroperoxides and for the detoxification of ROS-mediated damage. Glutaredoxins are a family of glutathione-dependent hydrogen donors that participate in a variety of cellular redox reactions.

Glucagon is an important hormone involved in carbohydrate metabolism. The hormone is synthesized and secreted from alpha cells (a-cells) of the islets of Langerhans, which are located in the endocrine portion of the pancreas. Glucagon is released when the glucose level in the blood is low (hypoglycemia), causing the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose and release it into the bloodstream. The action of glucagon is thus opposite to that of insulin, which instructs the body's cells to take in glucose from the blood in times of satiation.
Glucagon is beneficial for the culture of some cell types. It has been used in some biochemical regulation studies of glycogenolysis in hepatocytes. It has been also been found to induce DNA replication in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes when used in combinations with EGF and Insulin. Glucagon increases the blood glucose concentration by promoting rapid breakdown of liver glycogen, and also acts to relax smooth muscle such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Clusterin also named Apolipoprotein J (APO-J) is a 75-80 kD disulfide-linked heterodimeric protein containing about 30% of N-linked carbohydrate rich in sialic acid but truncated forms targeted to the nucleus have also been identified.
The precursor polypeptide chain is cleaved proteolytically to remove the 22-mer secretory signal peptide and subsequently between residues 227/228 to generate the a and b chains. These are assembled in anti-parallel to give a heterodimeric molecule in which the cysteine-rich centers are linked by five disulfide bridges and are flanked by two predicted coiled-coil a-helices and three predicted amphipathic a-helices.
Across a broad range of species clusterin shows a high degree of sequence homology ranging from 70% to 80%. It is nearly ubiquitously expressed in most mammalian tissues and can be found in plasma, milk, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and semen.
It is able to bind and form complexes with numerous partners such as immunoglobulins, lipids, heparin, bacteria, complement components, paraoxonase, beta amyloid, leptin and others. Clusterin has been ascribed a plethora of functions such as phagocyte recruitment, aggregation induction, complement attack prevention, apoptosis inhibition, membrane remodeling, lipid transport, hormone transport and/or scavenging, matrix metalloproteinase inhibition.
A genuine function of clusterin has not been defined. One tempting hypothesis says that clusterin is an extracellular chaperone protecting cells from stress induced insults caused by degraded and misfolded protein precipitates.
Clusterin is up- or down regulated on the mRNA or protein level in many pathological and clinically relevant situations including cancer, organ regeneration, infection, Alzheimer disease, retinitis pigmentosa, myocardial infarction, renal tubular damage, autoimmunity and others.

REG protein was shown to be stimulated during the regeneration of pancreatic islets. Since then, many Reg-related proteins have been identified in humans and other animals. In human, the four REG family genes, i.e., REG 1 alpha, REG 1 beta, REG-related sequence (RS) and HIP/PAP, have so far been isolated. These Reg-related proteins are classified into four subfamilies according to their amino-acid sequences, but they share a similar structure and physiological function. Reg protein is a growth factor for pancreatic beta cells and also suggests that the administration of Reg protein could be used as another therapeutic approach for diabetes mellitus. Human REG cDNA which encodes a 166-amino acid protein with a 22-amino acid signal peptide. The amino acid sequence of human REG protein has 68% homology to that of rat Reg protein.
Reg I was found to be expressed mainly in pancreatic beta and acinoductular cells as well as gastric fundic enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. Reg I production in ECL cells is stimulated by gastrin, as well as by the proinflammatory cytokine, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-2Beta. In patients with chronic hypergastrinemia, Reg production is stimulated, with the increased proliferation of gastric mucosal cells. Patients with Helicobacter pylori infection also showed increased Reg production in the gastric mucosa, partly via increased plasma gastrin concentration and partly via increased proinflammatory cytokine production. The serum concentration of the reg-protein was significantly higher in patients with various pancreatic diseases than in normal controls, and was also significantly higher in patients with acute pancreatitis or chronic relapsing pancreatitis than in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Furthermore, the serum PSP/reg-protein concentration was also significantly increased in liver cirrhosis, choledocholithiasis, and various cancers of the digestive system.

Leptin is a protein hormone with important effects in regulating body weight, metabolism and reproductive function. The protein is approximately~16 kDa in mass and encoded by the obese (ob)gene. leptin is expressed predominantly by adipocytes, which fits with the idea that body weight is sensed as the total mass of fat in the body. Smaller amounts of leptin are also secreted by cellsin the epithelium of the stomach and in the placenta. Leptin receptors are highly expressed in areas of the hypothalamus known to be important in regulating body weight, as well as in T lymphocytes and vascular endothelial cells.

Cell Cycle Exit And Neuronal Differentiation 1, also known as CEND1, is a neuron-specific protein. CEND1 take part in cell cycle control and neuronal differentiation mechanisms during neonatal SVZ neurogenesis and turn out to be crucial for the transition from neuroblasts to mature neurons when reaching high levels. The similar protein in pig enhances neuroblastoma cell differentiation in vitro and involved in neuronal differentiation in vivo. Multiple pseudogenes have been reported for this gene. The disease neuroblastoma has been associated with CEND1.

X-Prolyl Aminopeptidase-1, also known as XPNPEP1 is a member of the peptidase M24B family. XPNPEP1 encodes the cytosolic form of a metalloaminopeptidase which catalyzes the cleavage of the N-terminal amino acid adjacent to a proline residue. Furthermore, XPNPEP1 plays a role in degradation as well as maturation of tachykinins, neuropeptides and peptide hormones.

MAX protein is part of the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLHZ) family of transcription factors. MAX forms homodimers and heterodimers with Mad, Mxi1 and Myc. Myc is an oncoprotein implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The homodimers and heterodimers compete for a common DNA target site (the E box) and rearrangement among these dimer forms offers a complex system of transcriptional regulation. In contrast to Myc, which is exceedingly regulated throughout progression during the cell cycle, Max is very stable and is much more abundant than Myc.

Insulin-Degrading Enzyme (IDE) is a zinc metallopeptidase which degrades intracellular insulin, and thus terminates insulins activity, as well as playing a part in intercellular peptide signaling by degrading various peptides such as amylin, bradykinin, and kallidin. The preferential affinity of the IDE enzyme for insulin results in insulin-mediated inhibition of the degradation of additional peptides such as beta-amyloid. Deficiencies in IDE protein's function are linked with Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus nevertheless mutations in the IDE gene have not been demonstrated to be causative for these diseases. Insulin-Degrading Enzyme localizes mainly to the cytoplasm however in some cell types it localizes to the extracellular space, cell membrane, peroxisome, and mitochondrion. In addition, IDE degrades amyloid formed by APP and IAPP. Furthermore, IDE plays a part in the degradation and clearance of naturally secreted amyloid beta-protein by neurons and microglia.

EDA2R (ectodysplasin A2 receptor) mediates the activation of the NF-kappa-B and JNK pathways. Activation seems to be mediated through binding to TRAF3 and TRAF6. In addition, Mutations in EDA give rise to a clinical syndrome characterized by loss of hair, sweat glands, and teeth. EDA2R specifically binds to EDA-A2 isoform. This protein is a type III transmembrane protein of the TNFR (tumor necrosis factor receptor) superfamily, and contains 3 cysteine-rich repeats and a single transmembrane domain however it lacks an N-terminal signal peptide. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been found for this gene. Among the diseases associated with EDA2R are ectodermal dysplasia 1, hypohidrotic, x-linked, and hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.

Serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 7 (SPINK7) which includes one Kazal-like domain is most likely serine protease inhibitor. Diseases linked with SPINK7 include esophageal cancer, and oral squamous cell carcinoma

Resistin, a product of the RSTN gene, is a peptide hormone belonging to the class of cysteine-rich secreted proteins (monomeric peptide contains 11 cysteine residues) referred to as the RELM family, and is also described as ADSF (Adipose Tissue-Specific Secretory Factor) or FIZZ3 (Found in Inflammatory Zone 3). Mouse resistin is expressed as a 114 amino acid prepeptide; its hydrofobic Nterminal 20 amino acid signal peptide is cleaved before its secretion. Mouse resistin circulates in blood as a homodimeric protein consisting of two 94 amino acid polypeptides, which are disulfide-linked via Cys26.
Resistin may be an important link between obesity. Mouse resistin, specifically produced and secreted by adipocyte, acts on skeletal muscle myocytes, hepatocytes and adipocytes themselves so that it reduces their sensitivity. Steppan et al. have suggested that resistin suppressed the ability to stimulate glucose uptake. They have also suggested that resistin was present at elevated levels in blood of obese mice, and was down regulated by fasting and by antidiabetic drugs. Way et al., on the other hand, have found that resistin expression is severely suppressed in obesity.
Other studies have shown that mouse resistin increases during the differentiation of adipocytes, but it also seems to inhibit adipogenesis. In contrast, the human adipogenic differentiation is likely to be associated with a down regulation of resistin gene expression.

Endothelin-2 is a Hypoxia-induced Autocrine Survival Factor for Breast Tumor Cells. The synthesis of EDN2 by human kidney carcinoma cells is decreased by EGF. EDN2 is a chemoattractant for macrophages and THP-1 monocytic cells. Chemotaxis towards EDN2 is via the MAPK pathway: p44 and p42 are phosphorylated when THP-1 cells are stimulated with EDN2. Migration to EDN2 is inhibited by hypoxia and by pertussis toxin. EDN2 leads to activation of macrophages. EDN2 shares a similar peptide sequence with chemokines and may signal via a similar receptor and MAPK-mediated pathway. Furthermore, EDN2 expression by tumors may modulate the behavior of macrophages such that activated cells accumulate in areas of hypoxia.

Ectonucleoside Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolase 3, also known as ENTPD3, which owns a threefold preference for the hydrolysis of ATP over ADP is similar to E-type nucleotidases (NTPases). ENTPD3 is a protein coding gene which contains four apyrase-conserved areas which is characteristic of NTPases.

Ectonucleoside Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolase 3, also known as ENTPD3, which owns a threefold preference for the hydrolysis of ATP over ADP is similar to E-type nucleotidases (NTPases). ENTPD3 is a protein coding gene which contains four apyrase-conserved areas which is characteristic of NTPases.

XCL1 is a small cytokine belongs to the XC chemokine family that is also known as lymphotactin. XCL1 is found in high levels in spleen, thymus, intestine and peripheral blood leukocytes, and at lower levels in lung, prostate gland and ovary. Cellular sources for XCL1 include activated thymic and peripheral blood CD8+ T cells. This chemokine attracts T cells. In humans, XCL1 is closely related to XCL2, whose gene is found at the same locus on chromosome 1. XCL1 induces it chemotactic function by binding to a chemokine receptor called XCR1.