G-quadruplex aptamer, AGRO100, can strongly bind to nucleolin, a multifunctional protein expressed at high levels in cancer cells [9].
PGC-1α is a multifunctional protein found at higher levels in tissues with high metabolic requirement such as brown fat, skeletal muscle, kidney, heart, and brain [39] [41], that functions as a coactivator to most nuclear receptors and to several other transcription factors [42].
If the multifunctionality is extended down to the particle level by using a multifunctional catalyst design the mass transfer bottleneck can be circumvented.
Interestingly, β-catenin, a multifunctional protein commonly found in excess levels in certain types of cancer [5], [6], is a key player in both calcium-dependent intercellular adhesion events and nuclear gene expression via the Wnt pathway [7].
In addition, the expression of transglutaminase type 2 (transglutaminaseminase 2), another TP53 inducible gene known to act as a multifunctional BH3-only protein at the mitochondrial level is detected in syncytia.
Yap is a multifunctional protein that is regulated at the level of phosphorylation and subcellular localization and is expressed in the lens epithelium as well as in the transitional zone.
The Calcium Channels pathway comprises a multifunctional set of genes that regulate intracellular calcium levels (Supplemental Table 2) and plays a role in hormone and neurotransmitter release, muscle contraction, and immune cell activation.
In particular, levels of serum IL-6, a multifunctional cytokine that contributes both to acute phase response and to pathological B cell activation, were reduced by 67% at 180 days and by 73% at 360 days (P < 0.05).
Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a multifunctional growth factor that is expressed at high levels during wound repair and at sites of connective tissue formation (Igarashi et al., 1993).
CTGF is a multifunctional heparin-binding glycoprotein that is normally expressed at low levels but dramatically enriched in virtually all fibrotic conditions [ 8].
