StAR-related lipid transfer domain protein 8 (STARD8) also known as deleted in liver cancer 3 protein (DLC-3) 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, respon ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''STARD8''
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 ...
and is a member of the DLC family.
Structure and function
The protein is 1103 amino acids long, which like other DLC proteins consists of a
sterile alpha motif (SAM),
RhoGAP and a
StAR-related lipid-transfer (START) domains.
The protein is a Rho GTPase-activating protein (GAP), a type of protein that regulates members of the
Rho family of GTPases. STARD8 is characterized as activating
Rho GTPases. Its expression inhibits the growth of human breast and prostate cancer cells in culture.
Tissue distribution and pathology
The protein is expressed in tissues throughout the body, but is absent or reduced in many kinds of
tumor
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
cells.
While there are no known disorders caused by STARD8, partial loss of the ''STARD8'' gene occurs in cases of
craniofrontonasal syndrome where the
EFNB1 gene (which causes the syndrome) is completely deleted.
References
Further reading
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Genes on human chromosome X
{{gene-X-stub