Uteroglobin, or blastokinin, also known as secretoglobin family 1A member 1 (SCGB1A1), 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, res ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''SCGB1A1''
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 b ...
.
SCGB1A1 is the founding member of the
secretoglobin family of small, secreted, disulfide-bridged dimeric proteins found only in mammals.
This antiparallel disulfide linked homodimeric protein is multifunctional and found in various tissues in various names such as: uteroglobin (UG, UGB), uteroglobin-like antigen (UGL), blastokinin, club-cell secretory protein (CCSP), Clara-cell 16 kD protein (17 in rat/mice), club-cell-specific 10 kD protein (CC10), human protein 1, urine protein 1 (UP-1), polychlorinated biphenyl-binding protein (PCB-BP), human club cell phospholipid-binding protein (hCCPBP), secretoglobin 1A member 1 (SCGB1A1).
This protein is specifically expressed in
club cell
Club cells, also known as bronchiolar exocrine cells, and formerly known as Clara cells, are low columnar/cuboidal cells with short microvilli, found in the small airways (bronchioles) of the lungs.
Club cells are found in the ciliated simple epit ...
s in the lungs.
Function
The precise physiological role of uteroglobin is not yet known. Putative functions are:
# Immunomodulation
#
Progesterone binding: weak in some animals, especially weak in humans. (Note: UGB is itself progesterone induced gene in the
endometrium in
Lagomorphs)
# Inhibits
phospholipase A2 ''in vitro''
# Binds
phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylcholines (PC) are a class of phospholipids that incorporate choline as a headgroup.
They are a major component of biological membranes and can be easily obtained from a variety of readily available sources, such as egg yolk or soybea ...
,
phosphatidylinositol
Phosphatidylinositol (or Inositol Phospholipid) consists of a family of lipids as illustrated on the right, where red is x, blue is y, and black is z, in the context of independent variation, a class of the phosphatidylglycerides. In such molecul ...
# Binds to
fibronectin
Fibronectin is a high- molecular weight (~500-~600 kDa) glycoprotein of the extracellular matrix that binds to membrane-spanning receptor proteins called integrins. Fibronectin also binds to other extracellular matrix proteins such as collage ...
: The uteroglobulin knockout mice on the inbred C57Bl6 strain develop
Goodpasture's syndrome
Goodpasture syndrome (GPS), also known as anti–glomerular basement membrane disease, is a rare autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the basement membrane in lungs and kidneys, leading to bleeding from the lungs, glomerulonephritis ...
like glomerulopathy due to fibronectin binding of IgA which might potentially be prevented by uteroglobin replacement. However contrary to the animal model claims, human genetic data might suggest that the effect may be indirect
# Uteroglobin knockout mice on the inbred 129 strain appear to have healthy phenotype (no glomerulopathy development), but show physiological differences in their responses to respiratory challenges. The phenotype exhibited by these mice are; decreased
bioaccumulation of biphenyls, susceptibility and increased IL-13, and IL-6 following hyperoxic challenge, and changes in the club cell morphology.
# Target of
polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...
(pcb) binding
References
External links
Bioinformatic_Harvester
Further reading
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Glycoproteins
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