Brevican core protein is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''BCAN''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Brevican is a member of the
lectican Lecticans, also known as hyalectans, are a family of large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans found in the extracellular matrix. There are four members of the lectican family: aggrecan, brevican, neurocan, and versican. Lecticans interact with hyalur ...
protein family.
Brevican is localised to the surface of
neuron
A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s in the
brain
The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
.
In melanocytic cells, BCAN gene expression may be regulated by
MITF
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor also known as class E basic helix-loop-helix protein 32 or bHLHe32 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MITF'' gene.
MITF is a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper transcription factor ...
.
Brevican is involved in maintaining molecule networks around neurons and may possibly be associated with slower brain ageing and
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
prevention.
References
Further reading
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External links
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C-type lectins
Lecticans
Extracellular matrix proteins
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