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Alpha Catenin
Alpha-catenin functions as the primary protein link between cadherins and the actin cytoskeleton. It has been reported that the actin binding proteins vinculin and alpha-actinin can bind to alpha-catenin. It has been suggested that alpha-catenin does not bind with high affinity to both actin filaments and the E-cadherin-beta-catenin complex at the same time. It has been observed that when alpha-catenin is not in a molecular complex with beta-catenin, it dimerizes and functions to regulate actin filament assembly, possibly by competing with Arp2/3 protein. Alpha catenin exhibits significant protein dynamics. However, a protein complex including a cadherin, actin, beta-catenin and alpha-catenin has not been isolated. The amino acid sequence of alpha-catenin has sequence similarity to that of vinculin. Types Three alpha-catenin genes are expressed in humans: * CTNNA1, alpha-1-catenin (also called alpha-E-catenin) * CTNNA2, alpha-2-catenin (also called alpha-N-catenin) * CTNNA3, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CTNNA1
αE-catenin, also known as Catenin alpha-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CTNNA1'' gene. αE-catenin is highly expressed in cardiac muscle and localizes to adherens junctions at intercalated disc structures where it functions to mediate the anchorage of actin filaments to the sarcolemma. αE-catenin also plays a role in tumor metastasis and skin cell function. Structure Human αE-catenin protein is 100.0 kDa and 906 amino acids. Catenins (α,β,and γ (also known as plakoglobin)) were originally identified in complex with E-cadherin, an epithelial cell adhesion protein. αE-catenin is highly expressed in cardiac muscle and is homologous to the protein vinculin; however, aside from vinculin, αE-catenin has no homology to established actin-binding proteins. The N-terminus of αE-catenin binds β-catenin or γ-catenin/plakoglobin, and the C-terminus binds actin directly or indirectly via vinculin or α-actinin. Function Though αE-catenin exhibits substantial ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ZO-1
Zonula occludens-1 ZO-1, also known as Tight junction protein-1 is a 220-kD peripheral membrane protein that is encoded by the ''TJP1'' gene in humans. It belongs to the family of ''zonula occludens proteins'' (ZO-1, ZO-2, and ZO-3), which are tight junction-associated proteins and of which, ZO-1 is the first to be cloned. It was first isolated in 1986 by Stevenson and Goodenough using a monoclonal antibody raised in rodent liver to recognise a 225-kD polypeptide in whole liver homogenates and in tight junction-enriched membrane fractions. It has a role as a scaffold protein which cross-links and anchors Tight Junction (TJ) strand proteins, which are fibril-like structures within the lipid bilayer, to the actin cytoskeleton. Function This gene encodes a protein located on a cytoplasmic membrane surface of intercellular tight junctions. The encoded protein may be involved in signal transduction at cell–cell junctions. Two transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have bee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catenin
Catenins are a family of proteins found in complexes with cadherin cell adhesion molecules of animal cells. The first two catenins that were identified became known as α-catenin and β-catenin. α-Catenin can bind to β-catenin and can also bind filamentous actin (F-actin). β-Catenin binds directly to the cytoplasmic tail of classical cadherins. Additional catenins such as γ-catenin and δ-catenin have been identified. The name "catenin" was originally selected ('catena' means 'chain' in Latin) because it was suspected that catenins might link cadherins to the cytoskeleton. Types * α-catenin * β-catenin *γ-catenin * δ-catenin All but α-catenin contain armadillo repeats. They exhibit a high degree of protein dynamics, alone or in complex. Function Several types of catenins work with N-cadherins to play an important role in learning and memory. Cell-cell adhesion complexes are required for simple epithelia in higher organisms to maintain structure, function and pola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Presence Of Alpha-catenin Members In Species During Metazoan Evolution
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun '' thee'') when followed by a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wnt Signaling Pathway
The Wnt signaling pathways are a group of signal transduction pathways which begin with proteins that pass signals into a cell through cell surface receptors. The name Wnt is a portmanteau created from the names Wingless and Int-1. Wnt signaling pathways use either nearby cell-cell communication (paracrine) or same-cell communication (autocrine). They are highly evolutionarily conserved in animals, which means they are similar across animal species from fruit flies to humans. Three Wnt signaling pathways have been characterized: the canonical Wnt pathway, the noncanonical planar cell polarity pathway, and the noncanonical Wnt/calcium pathway. All three pathways are activated by the binding of a Wnt-protein ligand to a Frizzled family receptor, which passes the biological signal to the Dishevelled protein inside the cell. The canonical Wnt pathway leads to regulation of gene transcription, and is thought to be negatively regulated in part by the SPATS1 gene. The noncanonical plana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli
Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) also known as deleted in polyposis 2.5 (DP2.5) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''APC'' gene. The APC protein is a negative regulator that controls beta-catenin concentrations and interacts with E-cadherin, which are involved in cell adhesion. Mutations in the ''APC'' gene may result in colorectal cancer. ''APC'' is classified as a tumor suppressor gene. Tumor suppressor genes prevent the uncontrolled growth of cells that may result in cancerous tumors. The protein made by the ''APC'' gene plays a critical role in several cellular processes that determine whether a cell may develop into a tumor. The APC protein helps control how often a cell divides, how it attaches to other cells within a tissue, how the cell polarizes and the morphogenesis of the 3D structures, or whether a cell moves within or away from tissue. This protein also helps ensure that the chromosome number in cells produced through cell division is correct. The APC pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TCF/LEF Family
The TCF/LEF family (T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor family) is a group of genes that encode transcription factors which bind to DNA through a SOX-like high mobility group domain. They are involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, particularly during embryonic and stem-cell development, but also had been found to play a role in cancer and diabetes. TCF/LEF factors recruit the coactivator beta-catenin to enhancer elements of genes they target. They can also recruit members of the Groucho family of corepressors. History The discovery of the TCF/LEF genes as nuclear Wnt pathway components in the 90s was a pivotal breakthrough for the Wnt signalling research field, plugging an important knowledge gap and enabling subsequent understanding of transcriptional regulation of Wnt target genes, particularly in embryonic development and cancer. Before this discovery it was only known that upstream Wnt signalling mechanisms regulated the cytoplasmic abundance of the beta-catenin protei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
YAP1
YAP1 (yes-associated protein 1), also known as YAP or YAP65, is a protein that acts as a transcription coregulator that promotes transcription of genes involved in cellular proliferation and suppressing apoptotic genes. YAP1 is a component in the hippo signaling pathway which regulates organ size, regeneration, and tumorigenesis. YAP1 was first identified by virtue of its ability to associate with the SH3 domain of Yes and Src protein tyrosine kinases. ''YAP1'' is a potent oncogene, which is amplified in various human cancers. Structure Cloning of the YAP1 gene facilitated the identification of a modular protein domain, known as the WW domain. Two splice isoforms of the YAP1 gene product were initially identified, named YAP1-1 and YAP1-2, which differed by the presence of an extra 38 amino acids that encoded the WW domain. Apart from the WW domain, the modular structure of YAP1 contains a proline-rich region at the very amino terminus, which is followed by a TID (TEAD tran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hippo Pathway
The Hippo signaling pathway, also known as the Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) pathway, is a signaling pathway that controls organ size in animals through the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. The pathway takes its name from one of its key signaling components—the protein kinase Hippo (Hpo). Mutations in this gene lead to tissue overgrowth, or a "hippopotamus"-like phenotype. A fundamental question in developmental biology is how an organ knows to stop growing after reaching a particular size. Organ growth relies on several processes occurring at the cellular level, including cell division and programmed cell death (or apoptosis). The Hippo signaling pathway is involved in restraining cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. As many cancers are marked by unchecked cell division, this signaling pathway has become increasingly significant in the study of human cancer. The Hippo pathway also has a critical role in stem cell and tissue specific progenitor cell self-rene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonic Hedgehog
Sonic hedgehog protein (SHH) is encoded for by the ''SHH'' gene. The protein is named after the character ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. This signaling molecule is key in regulating embryonic morphogenesis in all animals. SHH controls organogenesis and the organization of the central nervous system, limbs, digits and many other parts of the body. Sonic hedgehog is a morphogen that patterns the developing embryo using a concentration gradient characterized by the French flag model. This model has a non-uniform distribution of SHH molecules which governs different cell fates according to concentration. Mutations in this gene can cause holoprosencephaly, a failure of splitting in the cerebral hemispheres, as demonstrated in an experiment using SHH knock-out mice in which the forebrain midline failed to develop and instead only a single fused telencephalic vesicle resulted. Sonic hedgehog still plays a role in differentiation, proliferation, and maintenance of adult tissues. Abnormal activ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MAPK
A mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MAP kinase) is a type of protein kinase that is specific to the amino acids serine and threonine (i.e., a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase). MAPKs are involved in directing cellular responses to a diverse array of stimuli, such as mitogens, osmotic stress, heat shock and proinflammatory cytokines. They regulate cell functions including proliferation, gene expression, differentiation, mitosis, cell survival, and apoptosis. MAP kinases are found in eukaryotes only, but they are fairly diverse and encountered in all animals, fungi and plants, and even in an array of unicellular eukaryotes. MAPKs belong to the CMGC (CDK/MAPK/GSK3/CLK) kinase group. The closest relatives of MAPKs are the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Discovery The first mitogen-activated protein kinase to be discovered was ERK1 (MAPK3) in mammals. Since ERK1 and its close relative ERK2 (MAPK1) are both involved in growth factor signaling, the family was term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afadin
Afadin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''AFDN'' gene. Function Afadin is a Ras (see HRAS; MIM 190020) target that regulates cell–cell adhesions downstream of Ras activation. It is fused with MLL (MIM 159555) in leukemias caused by t(6;11) translocations (Taya et al., 1998). upplied by OMIMref name="entrez"> Interactions Afadin has been shown to interact with: * BCR gene, * EPHB3, * F11 receptor, * HRAS and * LMO2, * PVRL1, * PVRL3, * Profilin 1, * RAP1A, * RAP1GAP, * SORBS1, * SSX2IP, * Tight junction protein 1 Zonula occludens-1 ZO-1, also known as Tight junction protein-1 is a 220-kD peripheral membrane protein that is encoded by the ''TJP1'' gene in humans. It belongs to the family of ''zonula occludens proteins'' (ZO-1, ZO-2, and ZO-3), which are ti ..., and * USP9X. References Further reading * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{PDB Gallery, geneid=4301 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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