SFRP5 antibody

Background of SFRP5 antibody

Secreted frizziled-related protein 2 (Sfrp2) is a member of Sfrp family of proteins, consisting of five members in mammals. The N-terminal region of these proteins shares sequence homology with extracellular Wnt binding domain of frizziled receptors (1). Wnts are a large family of cysteine-rich secreted glycoproteins that control development in various organisms (2). Since Sfrp family of proteins interact directly with Wnts, the Sfrp family of proteins have also been implicated in early embryonic development as well as modulating apoptotic events (3). More specifically, sfrp5 is implicated in determining the polarity of photoreceptor cells in the retina (4). Furthermore, it is an anti-inflammatory adipokine (5). Sfrp5 is a promising target in cancer treatment because it is known to play an important role in the development of bladder tumor and its downregulation or overexpression is linked with various cancers (6).
Hypermethylation of the promoter region of sfrp5 deactivates this protein, this leads to oncogenic activation of wnt signaling pathway which is common in cancers (7). Therfore, inactivation of sfrp5 has been linked with oral squamous cell carcinoma, ovarian and colorectal cancers (8). Hypermethylation, as well as overexpression of sfrp5 was reported to be seen in pancreatic cancers (9). Sfrp5 is located on human chromosome 10q24.1. It is highly expressed in retinal pigment epithelium. It is also expressed in pancreas and weakly expressed in heart, liver and skeletal muscle. Sfrp5 is approximately a 38kDa protein (317 amino acids).