ALG-2: a Ca2+ -binding modulator protein involved in cell proliferation and in cell death.
During the development of an organism, cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death are tightly balanced, and are controlled by a number of different regulators. Alterations in this balance are often observed in a variety of human diseases. The role of Ca(2+) as one of the key regulators of the cell is discussed with respect to a recently discovered Ca(2+)-binding protein, ALG-2, which is highly upregulated in cancerous tissues of different origins. The role of ALG-2 as a possible clinical marker and, molecularly, as a possible modulator at the interface between cell proliferation and cell death is discussed.
Krebs
Joachim
J
Institute of Biochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), HPM1, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland. krebs@bc.biol.ethz.ch
Saremaslani
Parvin
P
Caduff
Rosmarie
R
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D040461:Gene Components; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C097753:PDCD6 protein, human; D002118:Calcium