Week 13

9/9/20

I began researching the functions and structure of my protein: UniProt:Q9BZP6 CHIA (1x).

Protein: acidic mammalian chitinase

Gene: CHIA.

Structure

Sequence Length: 476

Mass: 52,271 Da

Function

A pretty compressed summary of this protein’s several functions is:

degrading chitin and chitotriose, Th2 immune response, IL-13 inflammation response, chemokine production, protecting lung epithelial cells against apoptosis, and phosphorylation of AKT1. In addition, it may contribute to the defense against nematodes, fungi, and other pathogens. This protein’s function in inflammatory response and apoptosis prevention is inhibited by allosamidin, which suggests that this proteins functions depend on carbohydrate binding.

Interactions

Interacts with EGFR, a gene that instructs in making the epidermal growth factor receptor.

It also has binary interactions with four proteins: TBCD5_HUMAN, COX20_HUMAN, RB8NL_HUMAN, AND EGFR_HUMAN.

Diseases Involved

Lung cancer

Inflammatory skin and bowel disease, neonatal, 2

Uniprot also mentions under “Expression” that it is detected in lung epithelial cells from asthma patients (not sure if this is considered a disease), is highly expressed in the stomach, and at lower levels in lung.

All above information is from:

Additional Info

Some additional background info to help readers, and for myself to refer to because I wasn’t sure what Th2, IL-13, and other terms/abbreviations were.

Chitin is a substance in the exoskeletons of bugs and insects (arthropods). I already knew this, so no citation.

Chitotriose, in short, is an enzyme inhibitor.

Chemokines small, secreted proteins. Stimulate the migration of cells, especially white blood cells. Involved in protective and destructive immune and inflammatory responses.

Th2(Type 2 T helper) is a cell that expresses IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 genes. Helps B-cell antibody secretion.

IL-13(interleukin 13) is a “gene that encodes an immunoregulatory cytokine produced primarily by activated Th2 cells.”

AKT1 protein encoded by the gene AKT. Apoptosis can be suppressed by activating AKT1.

Allosamidin is a chitinase inhibitor.

Citations (in order of appearance in paper)

UniProtKB – Q9BZP6 (CHIA_HUMAN) (2001 June 01). UniProt. Retrieved September 09, 2020 from https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9BZP6#sequences

UniProtKB – Q9BZP6 (CHIA_HUMAN) (2020 August 12). UniProt. Retrieved September 09, 2020 from https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9BZP6

Condition, gene, or chromosome summary: National Library of Medicine (US). Genetics Home Reference [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Library; 2020 Aug 17. EGFR gene epidermal growth factor receptor; [reviewed 2017 Dec; cited 2020 Sep 09]. Available from: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/EGFR#

(National Center for Biotechnology Information (2020). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 121978, Chitintriose. Retrieved September 6, 2020 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chitintriose.)

Hughes, C. E., & Nibbs, R. (2018). A guide to chemokines and their receptors. The FEBS journal, 285(16), 2944–2971. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.14466

Romagnani S. (1991). Type 1 T helper and type 2 T helper cells: functions, regulation and role in protection and disease. International journal of clinical & laboratory research, 21(2), 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02591635

Gene [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004 – [cited 2020 09 090. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3596

Gene [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004 – [cited 2020 09 090. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/207

Hughes, C. E., & Nibbs, R. (2018). A guide to chemokines and their receptors. The FEBS journal, 285(16), 2944–2971. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.14466