Entrez 2638 | Ensembl ENSG00000145321 | |
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External IDs MGI: 95669 HomoloGene: 486 GeneCards: GC | ||
Medical vocabulary what does vitamin d binding protein mean
Vitamin D-binding protein, also/originally known as gc-globulin (group-specific component), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GC gene.
Contents
- Medical vocabulary what does vitamin d binding protein mean
- Function
- Production
- Structure
- Interactive pathway map
- References
Function
Vitamin D-binding protein belongs to the albumin gene family, together with human serum albumin and alpha-fetoprotein. It is a multifunctional protein found in plasma, ascitic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and on the surface of many cell types. It binds to vitamin D and its plasma metabolites and transports them to target tissues.
As Gc protein-derived macrophage activating factor it is a Macrophage Activating Factor (MAF) that has been tested for use as a cancer treatment that would activate macrophages against cancer cells.
Production
It is synthesized by hepatic parenchymal cells and secreted into the [blood] circulation.
Structure
Human GC is a glycosylated alpha-globulin, ~58 kDa in size. Its 458 amino acids are coded for by 1690 nucleotides on chromosome 4 (4q11–q13). The primary structure contains 28 cysteine residues forming multiple disulfide bonds. GC contains 3 domains. Domain 1 is composed of 10 alpha helices, domain 2 of 9, and domain 3 of 4.
Many genetic variants of the GC gene are known and they produce 6 main haplotypes and 3 main protein variants (Gc1S, Gc1F and Gc2). The genetic variations have been found to correlate with the response to vitamin D supplementation.
Interactive pathway map
Click on genes, proteins and metabolites below to link to respective articles.
