Growth factor, augmenter of liver regeneration (ERV1 homolog, S. cerevisiae), also known as GFER, or Hepatopoietin is a

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, respo ...

which in humans is encoded by the ''GFER''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

. This gene is also known as essential for respiration and vegatative growth, augmenter of liver regeneration, and growth factor of Erv1-like/Hepatic regenerative stimulation substance.

Structure

The ''GFER'' gene is located on the

p arm In genetics, a locus (plural loci) is a specific, fixed position on a chromosome where a particular gene or genetic marker is located. Each chromosome carries many genes, with each gene occupying a different position or locus; in humans, the total ...

chromosome 16 Chromosome 16 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 16 spans about 90 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents just under 3% of the total DNA in cell ...

at position 13.3 and it spans 3,600 base pairs. The ''GFER'' gene produces a 15.4 kDa protein composed of 130

amino acids Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

. The structure of the protein is a

homodimer In biochemistry, a protein dimer is a macromolecular complex formed by two protein monomers, or single proteins, which are usually non-covalently bound. Many macromolecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, form dimers. The word ''dimer'' ha ...

which has been found to be fairly similar to the scERV1 protein of yeast.

Genomics

The gene resides on chromosome 16 in the interval containing the locus for

polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These cy ...

(PKD1). The putative gene product is 42% similar to the scERV1 protein of yeast. The human gene has three exons: the first encodes a 5' untranslated region and the first part of the protein; the second encodes the bulk of the protein; and the third the remainder.

Molecular biology

Proteins of the ERV1/ALR family are encoded by all eukaryotes and cytoplasmic DNA viruses for which the sequence data are available. All possess a C-X-X-C motif within a ~100 amino acid domain

Function

The hepatotrophic factor designated augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is thought to be one of the factors responsible for the extraordinary regenerative capacity of mammalian liver. It has also been called hepatic regenerative stimulation substance (HSS). The yeast scERV1 gene had been found to be essential for

oxidative phosphorylation Oxidative phosphorylation (UK , US ) or electron transport-linked phosphorylation or terminal oxidation is the metabolic pathway in which cells use enzymes to oxidize nutrients, thereby releasing chemical energy in order to produce adenosine tri ...

, the maintenance of mitochondrial genomes, and the

cell division cycle The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that take place in a cell that cause it to divide into two daughter cells. These events include the duplication of its DNA (DNA replication) and some of its organelles, and subse ...

. The human gene is both the structural and functional homolog of the yeast scERV1 gene. This protein interacts with Mia40 during the import of intermembrane space proteins including the small Tim proteins Cox17 and Cox19 both of which have disulfide bonds.

Clinical Significance

Mutations in ''GFER'' has been shown to result in Myopathy, mitochondrial progressive, with congenital cataract, hearing loss and developmental delay (MPMCHD). MPMCHD is a disease characterized by progressive

myopathy In medicine, myopathy is a disease of the muscle in which the muscle fibers do not function properly. This results in muscular weakness. ''Myopathy'' means muscle disease (Greek : myo- ''muscle'' + patheia '' -pathy'' : ''suffering''). This meani ...

and partial combined respiratory-chain deficiency, congenital

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...

sensorineural hearing loss Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the inner ear or sensory organ (cochlea and associated structures) or the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII). SNHL accounts for about 90% of rep ...

, and

developmental delay Global developmental delay is an umbrella term used when children are significantly delayed in their cognitive and physical development. It can be diagnosed when a child is delayed in one or more milestones, categorised into motor skills, speech, c ...

Interactions

GFER has been shown to

interact Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization using innovative strategies to advocate for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organizati ...

with

COP9 constitutive photomorphogenic homolog subunit 5 COP9 constitutive photomorphogenic homolog subunit 5 (Arabidopsis), also known as COPS5 or Csn5, is a gene conserved from humans to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Function The protein encoded by this gene is one of the eight subunits of COP9 signal ...

and

BNIPL Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 2-like protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''BNIPL'' gene. Interactions BNIPL has been shown to interact with: * BCL2-like 1, * Bcl-2 Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), encoded in ...