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FOXO3
Forkhead box O3, also known as FOXO3 or FOXO3a, is a human protein encoded by the ''FOXO3'' gene. Function FOXO3 belongs to the O subclass of the forkhead family of transcription factors which are characterized by a distinct fork head DNA-binding domain. There are three other FoxO family members in humans, FOXO1, FOXO4 and FOXO6. These transcription factors share the ability to be inhibited and translocated out of the nucleus on phosphorylation by proteins such as Akt/PKB in the PI3K signaling pathway (aside from FOXO6, which may be constitutively nuclear). Other post-translational modifications including acetylation and methylation are seen and can result in increased or altered FOXO3a activity. The use of FOXO3a knockout mice has revealed a diverse range of functions in both health and disease, namely infertility, lymphoproliferation, adenoma, organ inflammation, metabolism etc.; yet despite the purported importance of FOXO transcription factors in aging, FOXO3A knockout mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
FOXO4
Forkhead box protein O4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''FOXO4'' gene. Structure and function FOXO4 is a member of the forkhead family transcription factors O subclass, which is characterized by a winged helix domain used for DNA binding. There are 4 members of the FOXO family, including FOXO1, FOXO3, and FOXO6. Their activity is modified by many post translational activities, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and acetylation. Depending on this modified state, FOXO4 binding affinity for DNA is altered, allowing for FOXO4 to regulate many cellular pathways including oxidative stress signaling, longevity, insulin signaling, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. Two of the main upstream regulators of FOXO4 activity are phosphoinositide 3- kinase (PI3K) and serine/threonine kinase AKT/PKB. Both PI3K and AKT modify FOXO4 and prevent it from translocating to the nucleus, effectively preventing the transcription of the downstream FOXO targets. Clinical signif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MMP-13
Collagenase 3 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''MMP13'' gene. It is a member of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family. Like most MMPs, it is secreted as an inactive pro-form. MMP-13 has an predicted molecular weight around 54 kDa. It is activated once the pro-domain is cleaved, leaving an active enzyme composed of the catalytic domain and the hemopexin-like domain . Although the actual mechanism has not been described, the hemopexin domain participates in collagen degradation, the catalytic domain alone being particularly inefficient in collagen degradation. During embryonic development, MMP-13 is expressed in the skeleton as required for restructuring the collagen matrix for bone mineralization. In pathological situations it is highly overexpressed; this occurs in human carcinomas, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Proteins of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family are involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BCL2L11
Bcl-2-like protein 11, commonly called BIM (Bcl-2 Interacting Mediator of cell death), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''BCL2L11'' gene. Function The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the BCL-2 protein family. BCL-2 family members form hetero- or homodimers and act as anti- or pro-apoptotic regulators that are involved in a wide variety of cellular activities. The protein encoded by this gene contains a Bcl-2 homology domain 3 (BH3). It has been shown to interact with other members of the BCL-2 protein family, including BCL2, BCL2L1/BCL-X(L), and MCL1, and to act as an apoptotic activator. The expression of this gene can be induced by nerve growth factor (NGF), as well as by the forkhead transcription factor FKHR-L1 (FoxO3a), which suggests a role of this gene in neuronal and lymphocyte apoptosis. Transgenic studies of the mouse counterpart suggested that this gene functions as an essential initiator of apoptosis in thymocyte-negative selection. Several alte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akt/PKB Signaling Pathway
The Akt signaling pathway or PI3K-Akt signaling pathway is a signal transduction pathway that promotes survival and growth in response to extracellular signals. Key proteins involved are PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) and Akt ( protein kinase B). Initial stimulation by one of the growth factors causes activation of a cell surface receptor and phosphorylation of PI3K. Activated PI3K then phosphorylates lipids on the plasma membrane, forming second messenger phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3). Akt, a serine/threonine kinase, is recruited to the membrane by interaction with these phosphoinositide docking sites, so that it can be fully activated. Activated Akt mediates downstream responses, including cell survival, growth, proliferation, cell migration and angiogenesis, by phosphorylating a range of intracellular proteins. The pathway is present in all cells of higher eukaryotes and is highly conserved. The pathway is highly regulated by multiple mechanisms, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
FOX Proteins
FOX (forkhead box) proteins are a family of transcription factors that play important roles in regulating the expression of genes involved in cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and longevity. Many FOX proteins are important to embryonic development. FOX proteins also have pioneering transcription activity by being able to bind condensed chromatin during cell differentiation processes. The defining feature of FOX proteins is the forkhead box, a sequence of 80 to 100 amino acids forming a motif that binds to DNA. This forkhead motif is also known as the winged helix, due to the butterfly-like appearance of the loops in the protein structure of the domain. Forkhead proteins are a subgroup of the helix-turn-helix class of proteins. Biological roles Many genes encoding FOX proteins have been identified. For example, the FOXF2 gene encodes forkhead box F2, one of many human homologues of the ''Drosophila melanogaster'' transcription factor forkhead. FOXF2 is expressed in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
P53 Upregulated Modulator Of Apoptosis
The p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) also known as Bcl-2-binding component 3 (BBC3), is a pro-apoptotic protein, member of the Bcl-2 protein family. In humans, the Bcl-2-binding component 3 protein is encoded by the ''BBC3'' gene. The expression of PUMA is regulated by the tumor suppressor p53. PUMA is involved in p53-dependent and -independent apoptosis induced by a variety of signals, and is regulated by transcription factors, not by post-translational modifications. After activation, PUMA interacts with antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members, thus freeing Bax and/or Bak which are then able to signal apoptosis to the mitochondria. Following mitochondrial dysfunction, the caspase cascade is activated ultimately leading to cell death. Structure The PUMA protein is part of the BH3-only subgroup of Bcl-2 family proteins. This group of proteins only share sequence similarity in the BH3 domain, which is required for interactions with Bcl-2-like proteins, such as B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
G0 Phase
The G0 phase describes a cellular state outside of the replicative cell cycle. Classically, cells were thought to enter G0 primarily due to environmental factors, like nutrient deprivation, that limited the resources necessary for proliferation. Thus it was thought of as a ''resting phase''. G0 is now known to take different forms and occur for multiple reasons. For example, most adult neuronal cells, among the most metabolically active cells in the body, are fully differentiated and reside in a terminal G0 phase. Neurons reside in this state, not because of stochastic or limited nutrient supply, but as a part of their developmental program. G0 was first suggested as a cell state based on early cell cycle studies. When the first studies defined the four phases of the cell cycle using radioactive labeling techniques, it was discovered that not all cells in a population proliferate at similar rates. A population's “growth fraction” – or the fraction of the population that w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CFLAR
CASP8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CFLAR'' gene. Also called c-FLIP (FLICE Caspase-8 is a caspase protein, encoded by the ''CASP8'' gene. It most likely acts upon caspase-3. ''CASP8'' orthologs have been identified in numerous mammals for which complete genome data are available. These unique orthologs are also present ...-like inhibitory protein). References Further reading * * External links * * {{gene-2-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch signaling pathway is a highly Conserved sequence, conserved cell signaling system present in most animals. Mammals possess four different Notch proteins, notch receptors, referred to as NOTCH1, NOTCH2, Notch 3, NOTCH3, and NOTCH4. The notch receptor is a single-pass Cell surface receptor, transmembrane receptor protein. It is a hetero-oligomer composed of a large extracellular portion, which associates in a calcium-dependent, non-covalent interaction with a smaller piece of the notch protein composed of a short extracellular region, a single transmembrane-pass, and a small intracellular region. Notch signaling promotes proliferative signaling during neurogenesis, and its activity is inhibited by NUMB (gene), Numb to promote neural differentiation. It plays a major role in the regulation of embryonic development. Notch signaling is dysregulated in many cancers, and faulty notch signaling is implicated in many diseases, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells, found throughout the body after development, that multiply by cell division to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic stem cells (from Greek σωματικóς, meaning ''of the body''), they can be found in juvenile, adult animals, and humans, unlike embryonic stem cells. Scientific interest in adult stem cells is centered around two main characteristics. The first of which, being their ability to divide or self-renew indefinitely, and secondly, their ability to generate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate, potentially regenerating the entire organ from a few cells. Unlike embryonic stem cells, the use of human adult stem cells in research and therapy is not considered to be controversial, as they are derived from adult tissue samples rather than human embryos designated for scientific research. The main functions of adult stem cells are to replace cells that are at risk of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, responding to stimuli, providing structure to cells and organisms, and transporting molecules from one location to another. Proteins differ from one another primarily in their sequence of amino acids, which is dictated by the nucleotide sequence of their genes, and which usually results in protein folding into a specific 3D structure that determines its activity. A linear chain of amino acid residues is called a polypeptide. A protein contains at least one long polypeptide. Short polypeptides, containing less than 20–30 residues, are rarely considered to be proteins and are commonly called peptides. The individual amino acid residues are bonded together by peptide bonds and adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of amino acid residue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stem Cell
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell in a cell lineage. They are found in both embryonic and adult organisms, but they have slightly different properties in each. They are usually distinguished from progenitor cells, which cannot divide indefinitely, and precursor or blast cells, which are usually committed to differentiating into one cell type. In mammals, roughly 50–150 cells make up the inner cell mass during the blastocyst stage of embryonic development, around days 5–14. These have stem-cell capability. ''In vivo'', they eventually differentiate into all of the body's cell types (making them pluripotent). This process starts with the differentiation into the three germ layers – the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm – at the gastrulation stage. However ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
