help button home button Endocrine Society Endocrine Reviews
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH

First published online on October 4, 2007
This version published online on December 4, 2007
Endocrine Reviews, doi:10.1210/er.2007-0018
Endocrine Reviews, doi:10.1210/er.2007-0018
Endocrine Reviews 0 (2007): 200700182-
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society
This Article
Right arrow Final Manuscript (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
28/7/707    most recent
Final Manuscript
Author Manuscript
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mukherjee, A. B.
Right arrow Articles by Chilton, B. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mukherjee, A. B.
Right arrow Articles by Chilton, B. S.

Uteroglobin: A Steroid-Inducible Immunomodulatory Protein That Founded the Secretoglobin Superfamily

Anil B. Mukherjee*, Zhongjian Zhang, and Beverly S. Chilton

Section on Developmental Genetics (A.B.M., Z.Z.), Heritable Disorders Branch, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1830; and Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy (B.S.C.), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mukherja{at}exchange.nih.gov.

Blastokinin or uteroglobin (UG) is a steroid-inducible, evolutionarily conserved, secreted protein that has been extensively studied from the standpoint of its structure and molecular biology. However, the physiological function(s) of UG still remains elusive. Isolated from the uterus of rabbits during early pregnancy, UG is the founding member of a growing superfamily of proteins called Secretoglobin (Scgb). Numerous studies demonstrated that UG is a multifunctional protein with antiinflammatory/ immunomodulatory properties. It inhibits soluble phospholipase A2 activity and binds and perhaps sequesters hydrophobic ligands such as progesterone, retinols, polychlorinated biphenyls, phospholipids, and prostaglandins. In addition to its antiinflammatory activities, UG manifests antichemotactic, antiallergic, antitumorigenic, and embryonic growth-stimulatory activities. The tissue-specific expression of the UG gene is regulated by several steroid hormones, although a nonsteroid hormone, prolactin, further augments its expression in the uterus. The mucosal epithelia of virtually all organs that communicate with the external environment express UG, and it is present in the blood, urine, and other body fluids. Although the physiological functions of this protein are still under investigation, a single nucleotide polymorphism in the UG gene appears to be associated with several inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. Investigations with UG-knockout mice revealed that the absence of this protein leads to phenotypes that suggest its critical homeostatic role(s) against oxidative damage, inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer. Recent studies on UG-binding proteins (receptors) provide further insight into the multifunctional nature of this protein. Based on its antiinflammatory and antiallergic properties, UG is a potential drug target.







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals
Copyright © 2007 by The Endocrine Society