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Candida albicans is a diploid fungus, which grows both as yeast and filamentous cells and a contributory agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans, and candidal onychomycosis (an infection of the nail plate). Systemic fungal infections (fungemias) including those by C. albicans are regarded as key causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients (e.g., AIDS, cancer chemotherapy, organ or bone marrow transplantation). C. albicans biofilms may develop on the surface of implantable medical devices. C. albicans is commensal and a constituent of the normal gut flora containing microorganisms which live in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Overgrowth of the fungus leads to in candidiasis (candidosis). Candidiasis is frequently detected in immunocompromised persons, including HIV-infected patients. To infect host tissue, the habitual unicellular yeast-like form of C. albicans reacts to environmental signals and changes into an invasive, multicellular filamentous form, a phenomenon which is known as dimorphism.

GLC8 is a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (Glc7p). GLC8 plays a role in glycogen metabolism and chromosome segregation, and regulates Glc7p activity through conformational alteration; ortholog of the mammalian protein phosphatase inhibitor 2. Under regular conditions, GLC8 triggers GLC7, but when GLC8 is over epxressed, it inhibits Glc7p function. GLC8 is activated upon phosphoylation by Pho85p complexed with four cyclins (Pcl6p, Pcl7p, Pcl8p, or Pcl10p).

IFN-alpha is produced by macrophages and has antiviral activities. Interferon stimulates the production of two enzymes: protein kinase and an oligoadenylate synthetase.

Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR/NTR), an enzyme belonging to the flavoprotein family of pyridine nucleotide-disulfide oxidoreductases. Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), a component of the thioredoxin system, including thioredoxin (Trx) and NADPH, catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADPH to Trx, acts as a reductant of disulfide-containing proteins and participates in the defense system against oxidative stresses.

GLRX1 has a glutathione-disulfide oxidoreductase activity in the presence of nadph and glutathione reductase. reduces low molecular weight disulfides and proteins. Glutaredoxin is a glutathione (GSH)-dependent hydrogen donor for ribonucleotide reductase and also catalyzes glutathione-disulfide oxidoreduction reactions in the presence of NADPH and glutathione reductase. GLRX1 is 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.

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.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (ppa) is a member of the Ppase family. PPA is an enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of one molecule of pyrophosphate to two phosphate ions. Since this is a highly exergonic reaction, it can therefore be coupled to unfavorable biochemical transformations in order to drive these transformations to completion. The role of the PPA enzyme is a critical one in the lipid metabolism (including lipid synthesis and degradation), calcium absorption and bone formation, DNA synthesis, as well as other biochemical transformations.

Leukemia Inhibitory Factor also called LIF is a lymphoid factor that promotes long-term maintenance of embryonic stem cells by suppressing spontaneous differentiation. Leukemia Inhibitory Factor has several functions such as cholinergic neuron differentiation, control of stem cell pluripotency, bone & fat metabolism, mitogenesis of factor dependent cell lines & promotion of megakaryocyte production in vivo. Human and mouse LIF exhibit a 78% identity in its amino acid sequence.

IL2 is a secreted cytokine that is important for the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes. The receptor of this cytokine is a heterotrimeric protein complex whose gamma chain is also shared by interleukin 4 (IL4) and interleukin 7 (IL7). The expression of this gene in mature thymocytes is monoallelic, which represents an unusual regulatory mode for controlling the precise expression of a single gene. The targeted disruption of a similar gene in mice leads to ulcerative colitis-like disease, which suggests an essential role of this gene in the immune response to antigenic stimuli.

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.

HBsAg is the surface antigenof the Hepatitis-B-Virus (HBV). The capsidof a virus has different surface proteins from the rest of the virus. The antigen is a protein that binds specifically on one of these surface proteins. It is commonly referred to as the Australian Antigen.

Thioredoxins are small disulphide-containing redox proteins (within the conserved Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys active site) that have been found in all the kingdoms of living organisms. Thioredoxin contains a single disulfide active site and serves as a general protein disulphide oxidoreductase. Thioredoxins are involved in the first unique step in DNA synthesis. It interacts with a broad range of proteins by a redox mechanism based on reversible oxidation of two cysteine thiol groups to a disulphide, accompanied by the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The net result is the covalent interconversion of a disulphide and a dithiol. It has been suggested that thioredoxin may catalyze the formation of correct disulfides during protein folding because of its ability to act as an efficient oxidoreductant. Trx also provides control over a number of transcription factors affecting cell proliferation and death through a mechanism referred to as redox regulation.

Fibronectin Type III Domain Containing 5 (Irisin) is a newly discovered hormone, secreted into circulation by muscle, which acts on white adipocytes and promotes WAT “browning”. r-Irisin can reduce body weight and cause induction of brown adipocyte in vivo, including a capacity for thermogenic energy expenditure mediated by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1). Irisin mature protein is comprised of 110 amino acid residues and two potential glycosylation sites. High levels of Irisin can be found in the heart whereas Very low expression is found in the colon, pancreas and spleen, if any.

IL4 is a pleiotropic cytokine produced by activated T cells. IL4 is a ligand for interleukin 4 receptor. The interleukin 4 receptor also binds to IL13, which may contribute to many overlapping functions of this cytokine and IL13. STAT6, a signal transducer and activator of transcription, has been shown to play a central role in mediating the immune regulatory signal of this cytokine. This gene, IL3, IL5, IL13, and CSF2 form a cytokine gene cluster on chromosome 5q, with this gene particularly close to IL13. IL4, IL13 and IL5 are found to be regulated coordinately by several long-range regulatory elements in an over 120 kilobase range on the chromosome. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene encoding distinct isoforms have been reported.

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.

PDGF-BB is a member of the platelet-derived growth factor family. The four members of this family are mitogenic factors for cells of mesenchymal origin and are characterized by a motif of eight cysteines. This gene product can exist either as a homodimer (PDGF-BB) or as a heterodimer with the platelet-derived growth factor alpha polypeptide (PDGF-AB), where the dimers are connected by disulfide bonds. Mutations in this gene are associated with meningioma. Reciprocal translocations between chromosomes 22 and 7, at sites where this gene and that for COL1A1 are located, are associated with a particular type of skin tumor called dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans resulting from unregulated expression of growth factor. Two splice variants have been identified for this gene.

Aldo-Keto Reductase Family 7 Member A3 or AKR7A3, is an enzyme, it is part of the detoxification of aldehydes and ketones process. AKR7A3 diminishes the dialdehyde protein-binding form of aflatoxin B1 to the non-binding AFB1 dialcohol. The enzyme takes partin protection of liver from toxic and carcinogenic effects of AFB1, a potent hepatocarcinogen.

Cathepsin D is synthesized as a 54kDa precursor, which is proteolytically processed to an intermediate 48kDa single chain, which matures into more stable 34kDa and 14kDa two chain form. It is an estrogen-regulated lysosomal protease that has been suggested to facilitate cancer cell migration and invasion by digesting the basement membrane, extracellular matrix, and xonnective tissue. Because of its mitogenic and proteolytic activities, it has been implicated as a prognostic marker in many tumor types. Cathepsin D is expressed in epithelial cells as well as in macrophages.

The life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii has two phases. The coccidia like takes place only in members of the Felidae family which makes these animals the parasite's primary host. The asexual part of the life cycle can take place in any warm-blooded animal, like other mammals(including felines) and birds. T. gondii constructing daughter scaffolds within the mother cell. In the intermediate hosts (including felines), the parasite invades cells, forming intracellular so-called parasitophorous vacuoles containing bradyzoites, the slowly replicating form of the parasit. Vacuoles form tissue cysts mainly within the muscles and brain. Since they are within cells, the host's immune system does not detect these cysts. Resistance to antibiotics varies, but the cysts are very difficult to eradicate entirely. Within these vacuoles T. gondii propagates by a series of binary fissions until the infected cell eventually bursts and tachyzoites are released. Tachyzoites are the motile, asexually reproducing form of the parasite. Unlike the bradyzoites, the free tachyzoites are usually efficiently cleared by the host's immune response, although some manage to infect cells and form bradyzoites, thus maintaining the infection.

Deoxyribose-phosphate aldolase (DERA) is a member of the deoC/fbaB aldolase protein family involved in the carbohydrate degradation pathway. DERA catalyzes the conversion of 2-deoxy-D-ribose 5-phosphate to D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and an acetyldehyde.

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram negative bacteria which colonizes in the human stomach and stimulates gastric mucosal inflammations leading to acute gastritis-associated diseases among them are atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer.

H. pylori is found in half of the world’s population and is defined as a group I carcinogens. .

An important virulence factor of H. pylori is Cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) which is located at the end of an approximately 40-kb cluster of genes called cag pathoge¬nicity island (PAI).

Cag PAI encodes a type-IV secretion system and transfers CagA protein into the intracellular region of gastric epithelial cell.

This relocation induces cellular hyper proliferation, apoptosis and leading to failure of gastric epithelial cell in maintaining its normal cytoskeletal structure. Furthermore it increases the secretion of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL) 1, 6 and 8 by the epithelial cells.

The IL-8 leads to extreme inflammatory responses and also stimulates the production of oxygen free radicals that could cause DNA damage to adjacent cells and lead to genetic modifications of gastric epithelial cells which are carcinogenic.

Trichomonas vaginalis, an anaerobic, flagellated protozoan parasite, is most dominant protozoan causing sexual transmitted disease. T. vaginalis induced vaginal tract infection occurs as multiple steps involving interactions between host macromolecules and protozoan virulent factor. Adhension protein P65 of T. vaginalis has a vital part in assisting the penetration into vaginal tract surface.

AKR7A3, takes part in the detoxification of aldehydes and ketones. AKR7A3 reduces the dialdehyde protein-binding form of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) to the non-binding AFB1 dialcohol. AKR7A3 participates in protection of liver against the toxic and carcinogenic effects of AFB1, a potent hepatocarcinogen.