Antibodies

Nucleolin is an abundant, 106 kDa nucleolar phosphoprotein that is a major protein in actively dividing cells. The stability of nucleolin is heavily cell proliferation-dependent, as nucleolin antibody studies have shown that degraded forms are relatively abundant in quiescent non-dividing cells, while nonexist in actively dividing cells.

Myosin is a well-known, hexameric molecular motor that is a key cytoskeletal component. It consists of a pair of myosin heavy chain subunits (MHC), a pair of essential myosin light chain subunits (MLC), and a pair of regulatory light chain subunits (RLCs).

The myeloid differentiation protein MyD88 (myeloid differentiation primary response protein) was originally identified and characterized as a primary upregulated response gene in interleukin-6 mediated myeloid differentiation.

The protein encoded by mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), also known as dTOR in Drosophila, belongs to a family of phosphatidylinositol kinase-related kinases. These kinases regulate fundamental processes of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism

Originally identified as autoantigens from a Scleroderma Polymyositis Syndrome patient (1), the Ku protein family consists of nuclear proteins found in eukaryotes. Autoantibodies to both Ku subunits were subsequently found in other autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is the methyltransferase enzyme responsible for trimethylating lysine 27 on histone H3 to produce H3K27Me3. EZH2 is a polycomb group protein that is an essential epigenetic regulator that is often found deregulated in a wide variety of malignant cancer types.

Epigenetic mechanisms allow distinction between the active and inactive compartments of the genome, allowing proper cell lineage and embryogenesis.

Adiponectin is most well-known for its role in glucose metabolism and fatty acid breakdown. Adiponectin is secreted solely by adipose tissue, and a person with a higher percentage of body fat will express lower levels of Adiponectin. When higher levels of Adiponectin are present, a mouse will show a lack of adipocyte differentiation and a measurable increase in energy expenditure.

The neuropeptide and gut hormone Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone (GH)-secretagogue receptor (GHSR) within the central nervous system. This pathway has received a great deal of attention and heavy study within the last decade because of its large role in numerous physiological processes including feeding and body weight homeostasis (1, 2). In particular, Ghrelin is a key regulator of reward-based eating behavior (2, 3).

E-Cadherin is a member of the cadherin superfamily and is fundamental player in a wide range of cellular processes such as development, morphology, polarity, migration and tissue integrity. Specifically, E-cadherin is an approximately 100 kDa epithelial cell glycoprotein whose extracellular domain interacts with that of other E-cadherin molecules on adjacent cells to establish cell-cell adhesion. This adhesion is Ca^2+-dependent and a variety of interactions have been identified.