Disease relevance of SERPINA9

• Transcription of centerin is highly restricted to GC B cells and their malignant counterparts, Burkitt's lymphoma lines [1].
• The human homolog of GCET, HGAL/GCET2, is an important prognostic marker for staging lymphomas derived from GCs [2].
• None of the other B-cell lymphomas, that is, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma, was Gcet1(+), which underlines the potential utility of Gcet1 expression in lymphoma diagnosis [3].

High impact information on SERPINA9

• Two new genes, GCET1 (germinal center B-cell expressed transcript 1) and GCET2, were cloned from selected expressed sequence tags (IMAGE clone 1334260 and 814622, respectively) [4].
• Blast search showed that GCET1 has a highly conserved serine proteinase inhibitor (SERPIN) domain and is located on a chromosomal locus containing seven other SERPIN family members [4].
• GCET1 is located on chromosome 14q32 and has four splicing isoforms, of which the longest one is 1787 bp and encodes a 435-amino acid protein [4].
• Because CD40 signaling is required for naive B cells to enter the GC reaction and for GC B cells to survive, it is likely that centerin plays a role in the development and/or sustaining of GC [1].
• Identification of centerin: a novel human germinal center B cell-restricted serpin [1].

Biological context of SERPINA9

• The putative centerin protein shares the highest sequence identity with thyroxine-binding globulin and possesses arginine/serine at its P1/P1' active site, suggesting that it interacts with a trypsin-like protease(s) [1].
• In functional assays, the promoter is active in cells irrespectively of endogenous GCET gene expression [2].

Anatomical context of SERPINA9

• Two newly characterized germinal center B-cell-associated genes, GCET1 and GCET2, have differential expression in normal and neoplastic B cells [4].

References