Beta-casein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CSN2 gene.Beta-casein is a 226 amino acids protein that belongs to the beta-casein family.It is secreted in milk. Beta-casein palys important role in determination of the surface properties of the casein micelles.
β-Defensin 1 (DEFB1) is a member of the β-defensin family, which is highly expressed by epithelial cells. β-defensins are expressed as the C-terminal portion of precursors and are released by proteolytic cleavage of a signal peptide. β-defensins contain a six-cysteine motif that forms three intra-molecular disulfide bonds. β-defensin 1 is an antimicrobial peptide implicated in the resistance of epithelial surfaces to microbial colonization. Defects in β-Defensin-1 contribute to asthma diagnosis, with apparent gender-specific effects in human. β-defensin 1 may also play a role in the pathogenesis of severe sepsis. In addition, β-defensin 1 is associated with induction profiles in gingival keratinocytes.
β-Defensin 4A is a membrane-active cationic peptide that functions in inflammation and innate immune responses. There are at least 30 β-Defensins, which are distinguished from α-Defensins by the connectivity pattern of their three intermolecular disulfide bonds. Members of the Defensin family are highly similar in protein sequence. This gene encodes Defensin, DEFB4;, which has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and may play an important role in innate epithelial defense. They are highly expressed in skin and tonsils, and to a lesser extent in trachea, uterus, kidney, thymus, adenoid, pharynx and tongue. β-Defensin 4A has low expression in salivary gland, bone marrow, colon, stomach, polyp and larynx. No expression in small intestine. The 45 amino acid mature human BD3 shares 38% and 33% amino acid sequence identity with mouse and rat BD3, respectively.
β Galactosidase is a lysosomal β Galactosidase that hydrolyzes the terminal β Galactose from Ganglioside and Keratan sulfate. In lysosome, the mature β Galactosidase protein associates with Cathepsin A and Neuraminidase 1 to form the lysosomal multienzyme complex . An alternative splicing at the RNA level of β Galactosidase results a catalytically inactive β Galactosidase that plays an important role in vascular development. Defects of β-galactosidase (GLB1) are the cause of diseases like GM1-gangliosidosis which is a lysosomal storage disease and Morquio Syndrome B that cause patients to have abnormal elastic fibers. More than 100 mutations have been identified for β Galactosidase, which result in different residual activities of the mutant enzymes and a spectrum of symptoms in the two related diseases.
Human β-Nerve Growth Factor (β-NGF) was initially isolated in the mouse submandibular gland. It is composed of three non-covalently linked subunits α; β; and γ; it exhibits all the biological activities ascribed to NGF. It is structurally related to BDNF; NT-3 and NT-4 and belongs to the cysteine-knot family of growth factors that assume stable dimeric structures. Β-NGF is a neurotrophic factor that signals through its receptor β-NGF; and plays a crucial role in the development and preservation of the sensory and sympathetic nervous systems. Β-NGF also acts as a growth and differentiation factor for B lymphocytes and enhances B-cell survival. These results suggest that β-NGF is a pleiotropic cytokine; which in addition to its neurotropic activities may have an important role in the regulation of the immune system. Human β-NGF shares 90% sequence similarity with mouse protein and shows cross-species reactivity.
The precursor form of the nerve growth factor (proNGF) like its mature form is characterized by the cystin knot motif consisting of three cystine bridges; whereas proneurotrophins and mature neurotrophins elicit opposite biological effects. ProNGF functions preferentially via the complex of pan-neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75NTR) and vps10p domain-containing receptor sortilin inducing neuronal apoptosis and contributing to age- and disease-related neurodegeneration.
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