This gene encodes the major type IV alpha collagen chain of basement membranes. Like the other members of the type IV collagen gene family, this gene is organized in a head-to-head conformation with another type IV collagen gene so that each gene pair shares a common promoter. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

This gene encodes the major type IV alpha collagen chain of basement membranes. Like the other members of the type IV collagen gene family, this gene is organized in a head-to-head conformation with another type IV collagen gene so that each gene pair shares a common promoter. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

This gene encodes the major type IV alpha collagen chain of basement membranes. Like the other members of the type IV collagen gene family, this gene is organized in a head-to-head conformation with another type IV collagen gene so that each gene pair shares a common promoter. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is a signal protein produced by cells that stimulates the formation of blood vessels. To be specific, VEGF is a sub-family of growth factors, the platelet-derived growth factor family of cystine-knot growth factors. They are important signaling proteins involved in both vasculogenesis (the de novo formation of the embryonic circulatory system) and angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels from pr

SLC40A1 may be involved in iron export from duodenal epithelial cells and also in transfer of iron between maternal and fetal circulation. It mediates iron efflux in the presence of a ferroxidase (hephaestin and/or ceruloplasmin). Defects in SLC40A1 are the cause of hemochromatosis type 4, an autosomal dominant iron-loading disorder characterized by early iron accumulation in reticuloendothelial cells and a marked increase in serum ferritin.

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family and the TGF-beta superfamily. This group of proteins is characterized by a polybasic proteolytic processing site which is cleaved to produce a mature protein containing seven conserved cysteine residues. The members of this family are regulators of cell growth and differentiation in both embryonic and adult tissues. Studies in mice and Xenopus suggest that this protein is involved in mesodermal forma