Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone protein (PLUNC) is a
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 ...
encoding a
secretory protein
A secretory protein is any protein, whether it be endocrine or exocrine, which is secreted by a cell. Secretory proteins include many hormones, enzymes, toxins, and antimicrobial peptides.
Secretory proteins are synthesized in the endoplasmic ret ...
. It is also called Secretory protein in upper respiratory tracts (SPURT). In humans, it is encoded by the ''BPIFA1'' (Bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold-containing family A1) gene, previously called ''PLUNC''.
Function
This gene is the human homolog of murine plunc, and like the mouse gene, is specifically expressed in the airways and
nasopharyngeal
The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its struct ...
regions. Plunc inhibits the
epithelial sodium channel (ENaC),
and also has anti-microbial functions.
[6] As such, plunc is believed to play a role in
innate immune defense in the airways. PLUNC's ability to regulate ENaC is pH-sensitive and fails in acidic
cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...
airways.
Thus, defective PLUNC1 function is thought to contribute to the development of lung pathology in cystic fibrosis patients.
It may also serve as a potential molecular marker for detection of
micrometastasis
A micrometastasis is a small collection of cancer cells that has been shed from the original tumor and spread to another part of the body through the lymphovascular system. Micrometastases are too few, in size and quantity, to be picked up in a sc ...
in
non-small-cell lung cancer
Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is any type of epithelial lung cancer other than small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. As a class, NSCLCs are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy, compared to sm ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
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