A number of specific carrier proteins for members of the vitamin A family have been discovered. Cellular retinoic acid binding proteins (CRABP) are low molecular weight proteins whose precise function remains unknown. The inducibility of the CRABP2 gene suggests that this isoform is important in retinoic...

CD2-like receptor activating cytotoxic cells (CRACC), also known as CS1, novel Ly9, SLAMF7, and CD319, is a 66kD type I transmembrane glycoprotein in the SLAM subgroup of the CD2 family (1). Mature mouse CRACC consists of a 202 amino acid (aa) extracellular domain (ECD) with one Ig-like V-set domain and one Ig-like...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are effector molecules of the innate immune system with direct antimicrobioal and immunomodulatory effects. AMP are produced by epithelial and professional host defense cells such as macrophages or neutrophils. AMP directly inactivate microorganisms and, in addition, have diverse...

The mitochondrial oxidation of long-chain fatty acids is initiated by the sequential action of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (which is located in the outer membrane and is detergent-labile) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (which is located in the inner membrane and is detergent-stable), together with a...

Complement Factor D is a serine protease that catalyzes the initial proteolytic step in the alternative pathway of complement. Expressed in adipose tissue at high levels, factor D is also known as adipsin. It is an exceptionally specific protease and the only known protein substrate is factor B in complex with C3....