Cactin also known as renal carcinoma antigen NY-REN-24 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CACTIN gene.[5][6][7]
[8] Upon activation of Toll signaling by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria infection, Cactin in the cytosol binds to Cactus and mediates the release of Dif and Dorsal from Cactus, allowing their translocation into the nucleus and activation of AMP genes.
The full-length cactin protein length is 3,150 bp long and with an N-terminus from 356–547 residues and a domain in the C-terminal 731–855 residues.[10]
This protein resides in many organs and tissues of all vertebrates, however, it has also been found in plants, protist, and fungi. The location that is highest in concentration of cactin gene is in the testis of males and in the spleen. The cactin gene in this specific area like the testis, enables RNA binding activity. This protein was also found to be involved in other process like cellular response from cytokines and negative signal transduction (negative feed back loops).[11]
In plants, the cactcin is associated with SR proteins localized in nuclear speckles.[12] Plant and human cells share the same spliceosomal proteins, which involved the removal of introns in order to form mature messenger RNA.
^Zhang S, Shi L, Yang QH, Dong XH, Chi SY, Liu HY, Tan BP (December 2014). "Molecular characterization and functional analysis of Cactin gene from Litopenaeus vannamei". Fish & Shellfish Immunology. 41 (2): 608–617. Bibcode:2014FSI....41..608Z. doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2014.10.014. PMID25462455.
Lehner B, Semple JI, Brown SE, Counsell D, Campbell RD, Sanderson CM (January 2004). "Analysis of a high-throughput yeast two-hybrid system and its use to predict the function of intracellular proteins encoded within the human MHC class III region". Genomics. 83 (1): 153–167. doi:10.1016/S0888-7543(03)00235-0. PMID14667819.
Brandenberger R, Wei H, Zhang S, Lei S, Murage J, Fisk GJ, et al. (June 2004). "Transcriptome characterization elucidates signaling networks that control human ES cell growth and differentiation". Nature Biotechnology. 22 (6): 707–716. doi:10.1038/nbt971. PMID15146197. S2CID27764390.