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Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.276, No.1, 1-6, 2000
The role of regucalcin in nuclear regulation of regenerating liver
Regucalcin was discovered in 1978 as a Ca2+-binding protein that does not contain EF-hand motif of Ca2+- binding domain [Yamaguchi, M., and Yamamoto T., Chem. Pharm. Bull. 26, 1915-1918, 1978]. The name regucalcin was proposed for this Ca2+-binding protein, which can regulate liver cell functions related to Ca2+. Regucalcin has been demonstrated to play a multifunctional role in liver and kidney cells, for which regucalcin mRNA expression and its protein content are pronounced. Hepatic regucalcin mRNA expression has been shown to be mediated through signaling pathway of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, and tyrosine kinase. AP-1- and NF-1-like factors can bind to the promotor region of the rat regucalcin gene to mediate the Ca2+ response for transcriptional activation. Growing evidence supports the view, moreover, that regucalcin plays an important role in the regulation of Ca2+ signaling from the cytoplasm to nuclei in the proliferative cells of regenerating rat liver. Also, regucalcin has been demonstrated to be transported to liver nucleus, and it can inhibit nuclear protein kinase, protein phosphatase, and DNA and RNA synthesis in regenerating liver. Regucalcin plays a physiologic role in the control for overexpression of proliferative cells. Regucalcin has been proposed to be an important regulatory protein in nuclear signaling system.