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RSPO1
R-spondin-1 is a secreted protein that in humans is encoded by the ''RSPO1'' gene, found on chromosome 1. In humans, it interacts with WNT4 in the process of female sex development. Loss of function can cause female to male sex reversal. Furthermore, it promotes canonical WNT/β catenin signaling. Structure The protein has two cysteine-rich, furin-like domains and one thrombospondin type 1 domain. Function Sex development Early gonads RSPO1 is required for the early development of gonads, regardless of sex. It has been found in mice only eleven days after fertilization. To induce cell proliferation, it acts synergistically with WNT4. They help stabilize β-catenin, which activates downstream targets. If both are deficient in XY mice, there is less expression of ''SRY'' and a reduction in the amount of SOX9. Moreover, defects in vascularization are found. These occurrences result in testicular hypoplasia. Male to female sex reversal, however, does not occur because Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WNT4
WNT4 is a secreted protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''WNT4'' gene, found on chromosome 1. It promotes female sex development and represses male sex development. Loss of function may have consequences, such as female to male sex reversal. Function The WNT gene family consists of structurally related genes that encode secreted signaling proteins. These proteins have been implicated in oncogenesis and in several developmental processes, including regulation of cell fate and embryogenesis. Pregnancy WNT4 is involved in many features of pregnancy as a downstream target of BMP2. For example, it regulates endometrial stromal cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. These processes are all necessary for the development of an embryo. Ablation in female mice results in subfertility, with defects in implantation and decidualization. For instance, there is a decrease in responsiveness to progesterone signaling. Furthermore, postnatal uterine differentiatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wnt Signaling Pathway
In cellular biology, 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, pronounced "wint", 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cysteine
Cysteine (; symbol Cys or C) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . The thiol side chain in cysteine enables the formation of Disulfide, disulfide bonds, and often participates in enzymatic reactions as a nucleophile. Cysteine is chiral, but both D and L-cysteine are found in nature. LCysteine is a protein monomer in all biota, and D-cysteine acts as a signaling molecule in mammalian nervous systems. Cysteine is named after its discovery in urine, which comes from the urinary bladder or cyst, from Ancient Greek, Greek κύστις ''kýstis'', "bladder". The thiol is susceptible to oxidation to give the disulfide bond, disulfide derivative cystine, which serves an important structural role in many proteins. In this case, the symbol Cyx is sometimes used. The deprotonated form can generally be described by the symbol Cym as well. When used as a food additive, cysteine has the E number E920. Cysteine is Genetic code, encoded by the codo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrombospondin 1
Thrombospondin 1, abbreviated as THBS1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''THBS1'' gene. Thrombospondin 1 is a subunit of a disulfide-linked homotrimeric protein. This protein is an adhesive glycoprotein that mediates cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. This protein can bind to fibrinogen, fibronectin, laminin, collagens types V and VII and integrins alpha-V/beta-1. This protein has been shown to play roles in platelet aggregation, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis. Function The thrombospondin-1 protein is a member of the thrombospondin family. It is a multi-domain matrix glycoprotein that has been shown to be a natural inhibitor of neovascularization and tumorigenesis in healthy tissue. Both positive and negative modulation of endothelial cell adhesion, motility, and growth have been attributed to TSP1. This should not be surprising considering that TSP1 interacts with at least 12 cell adhesion receptors, including CD36, αv integrins, β1 integrins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fertilization
Fertilisation or fertilization (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a zygote and initiate its development into a new individual organism or offspring. While processes such as insemination or pollination, which happen before the fusion of gametes, are also sometimes informally referred to as fertilisation, these are technically separate processes. The cycle of fertilisation and development of new individuals is called sexual reproduction. During double fertilisation in angiosperms, the haploid male gamete combines with two haploid polar nuclei to form a triploid primary endosperm nucleus by the process of vegetative fertilisation. History In antiquity, Aristotle conceived the formation of new individuals through fusion of male and female fluids, with form and function emerging gradually, in a mode c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
β-catenin
Catenin beta-1, also known as β-catenin (''beta''-catenin), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CTNNB1'' gene. β-Catenin is a dual function protein, involved in regulation and coordination of cell–cell adhesion and gene transcription. In humans, the CTNNB1 protein is encoded by the ''CTNNB1'' gene. In ''Drosophila'', the homologous protein is called ''armadillo''. β-catenin is a subunit of the cadherin protein complex and acts as an intracellular signal transducer in the Wnt signaling pathway. It is a member of the catenin protein family and homologous to γ-catenin, also known as plakoglobin. β-Catenin is widely expressed in many tissues. In cardiac muscle, β-catenin localizes to adherens junctions in intercalated disc structures, which are critical for electrical and mechanical coupling between adjacent cardiomyocytes. Mutations and overexpression of β-catenin are associated with many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal carcinom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SOX9
Transcription factor SOX-9 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SOX9'' gene. Function SOX-9 recognizes the sequence CCTTGAG along with other members of the HMG-box class DNA-binding domain, DNA-binding proteins. It is expressed by proliferating but not hypertrophic chondrocytes that is essential for differentiation of precursor cells into chondrocytes and, with steroidogenic factor 1, regulates transcription of the anti-Müllerian hormone (Anti-Müllerian hormone, AMH) gene. SOX-9 also plays a pivotal role in male sexual development; by working with Sf1, SOX-9 can produce AMH in Sertoli cells to inhibit the creation of a female reproductive system. It also interacts with a few other genes to promote the development of male sexual organs. The process starts when the transcription factor testis determining factor (encoded by the sex-determining region SRY of the Y chromosome) activates SOX-9 activity by binding to an enhancer (genetics), enhancer sequence Upstream and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypoplasia
Hypoplasia (; adjective form ''hypoplastic'') is underdevelopment or incomplete development of a tissue or organ. Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 March 2008) Although the term is not always used precisely, it properly refers to an inadequate or below-normal number of cells.Hypoplasia Stedman's Medical Dictionary. lww.com Hypoplasia is similar to aplasia, but less severe. It is technically ''not'' the opposite of [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leydig Cell
Leydig cells, also known as interstitial cells of the testes and interstitial cells of Leydig, are found adjacent to the seminiferous tubules in the testicle and produce testosterone in the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH). They are polyhedral in shape and have a large, prominent nucleus, an eosinophilic cytoplasm, and numerous lipid-filled vesicles. Males have two types of leydig cells that appear in two distinct stages of development: the fetal type and the adult type. Structure The mammalian Leydig cell is a polyhedral epithelioid cell with a single eccentrically located ovoid nucleus. The nucleus contains one to three prominent nucleoli and large amounts of dark-staining peripheral heterochromatin. The acidophilic cytoplasm usually contains numerous membrane-bound lipid droplets and large amounts of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). Besides the abundance of SER with scattered patches of rough endoplasmic reticulum, several mitochondria are also prominent within the cy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oral Mucosa
The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth. It comprises stratified squamous epithelium, termed "oral epithelium", and an underlying connective tissue termed '' lamina propria''. The oral cavity has sometimes been described as a mirror that reflects the health of the individual. Changes indicative of disease are seen as alterations in the oral mucosa lining the mouth, which can reveal systemic conditions, such as diabetes or vitamin deficiency, or the local effects of chronic tobacco or alcohol use. The oral mucosa tends to heal faster and with less scar formation compared to the skin. The underlying mechanism remains unknown, but research suggests that extracellular vesicles might be involved. Classification Oral mucosa can be divided into three main categories based on function and histology: * ''Lining mucosa'', nonkeratinized stratified squamous epithelium, found almost everywhere else in the oral cavity, including the: ** ''Alveolar mucosa'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dkk1
Dickkopf-related protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''DKK1'' gene. Function This gene encodes a protein that is a member of the dickkopf family. It is a secreted protein with two cysteine rich regions and is involved in embryonic development through its inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway. Dickkopf WNT signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (Dkk1) is a protein-coding gene that acts from the anterior visceral endoderm. The dickkopf protein encoded by DKK1 is an antagonist of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway that acts by isolating the LRP6 co-receptor so that it cannot aid in activating the WNT signaling pathway. This inhibition plays a key role in heart, head and forelimb development during anterior morphogenesis of the embryo. Interactions DKK1 has been shown to interact with LRP6 and is a high affinity ligand of Kremen proteins. Clinical significance Elevated levels of DKK1 in bone marrow, plasma and peripheral blood are associated with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
