Details for: ALLC

Gene ID: 55821

Gene Type:  Protein-coding  - A gene that serves as a template for producing a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule, which is then translated into a functional protein.

Symbol: ALLC

Ensembl ID: ENSG00000151360

Description: allantoicase

Cell Significance Landscape

Associated with

Significant Cells

Cell Significance Index (CSI) scores for the chosen context(s)

  • hepatic stellate cell CL0000632
    CSI 10.37
    rCSI 38.83%
    PRS 99.99

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this specific cell.

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this cell type. Calculated using techniques like effect size estimation and bootstrapping for reliability.

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this cell type. Calculated using techniques like effect size estimation and bootstrapping for reliability.
Network Configuration

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Other Information

This section provides additional information about the gene, including a description generated by an AI language model and details about associated proteins.

## Summary [ALLC](/details-gene/55821), located on chromosome 2p25.3, is the gene encoding allantoicase, an enzyme involved in purine degradation. While its cDNA has been cloned and characterized ([Link](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1119(00)00342-5)), the human protein is considered a probable inactive pseudogene. Functionally, it is annotated with allantoicase activity and a role in the allantoin catabolic process. Expression data indicates that **Overall**, [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) shows highly specific and significant expression in the [hepatic stellate cell](/details-cell/CL0000632), suggesting it may serve as a unique marker for this cell type within the liver microenvironment. ## Cellular Roles and Expression Landscape The expression profile of [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) is characterized by its remarkable specificity. Analysis of the **Overall** biological context reveals that the gene's most significant expression is confined to a single cell type: the [hepatic stellate cell](/details-cell/CL0000632) (CSI: 10.37). This high Cell Significance Index suggests that [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) is a defining molecular marker for this specialized pericyte-like cell population in the liver. The focused expression pattern points towards a highly specialized role, potentially related to the unique metabolic or structural functions of hepatic stellate cells. The absence of significant expression in other cell types underscores its utility as a specific identifier for this lineage. ## Pathways and Molecular Function The functional annotation of [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) links it directly to purine metabolism. It is associated with the biological process of allantoin catabolism ([GO:0000256](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/QuickGO/term/GO:0000256)) and the molecular function of allantoicase activity ([GO:0004037](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/QuickGO/term/GO:0004037)). Allantoicase catalyzes the hydrolysis of allantoin to allantoic acid, a key step in the degradation pathway of purines in most mammals. However, in humans, this pathway is believed to be incomplete, and the [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) gene is thought to be non-functional, raising questions about the role of its high-level transcription in [hepatic stellate cells](/details-cell/CL0000632). It is possible the transcript itself has a regulatory function or that the protein remnant performs a non-canonical, non-enzymatic role. ## Research Directions The highly specific expression of a supposedly inactive gene, [ALLC](/details-gene/55821), in [hepatic stellate cells](/details-cell/CL0000632) presents a unique area for investigation, particularly concerning liver physiology and pathology. **Proposed Hypotheses:** 1. The expression of the [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) transcript, rather than protein function, serves as a sensitive biomarker for the activation state of [hepatic stellate cells](/details-cell/CL0000632) during liver injury and fibrosis, with its levels correlating with the degree of fibrogenesis. 2. The [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) transcript functions as a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that regulates gene expression programs associated with hepatic stellate cell quiescence or activation, thereby influencing the progression of liver disease. **Key Experiment:** To test the hypothesis that [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) expression is a biomarker for hepatic stellate cell activation, an *in vivo* study could be conducted using a mouse model of liver fibrosis (e.g., carbon tetrachloride CCl4-induced or bile duct ligation). Primary [hepatic stellate cells](/details-cell/CL0000632) would be isolated from healthy and fibrotic livers. The expression levels of murine *Allc* transcript would be quantified using qRT-PCR and correlated with established activation markers such as alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I (Col1a1). Single-cell RNA sequencing of the whole liver tissue at different stages of fibrosis would further validate whether *Allc* expression is exclusively and dynamically regulated within the activated [hepatic stellate cell](/details-cell/CL0000632) population. **Therapeutic Potential:** Given that the [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) protein is likely inactive, it is not a direct target for small molecule inhibition or activation. However, its remarkable cell-type specificity presents a significant opportunity for targeted therapy. The promoter and regulatory elements of the [ALLC](/details-gene/55821) gene could be harnessed to drive the expression of therapeutic transgenes (e.g., anti-fibrotic factors, pro-apoptotic proteins) specifically within [hepatic stellate cells](/details-cell/CL0000632). This approach could allow for the selective targeting of the key cell type driving liver fibrosis, potentially increasing efficacy while minimizing off-target effects in other liver cells like hepatocytes.

Genular Protein ID: 2012778295

Symbol: ALLC_HUMAN

Name: Probable inactive allantoicase

UniProtKB Accession Codes:

Q8N6M5 B4DY77 Q53T95 Q5RL81 Q96RE6 Q9NZA7

Database IDs:

AGR 1 AlphaFoldDB 1 Antibodypedia 1 Bgee 1 BioGRID 1 BioGRID-ORCS 1 BioMuta 1 CCDS 1 CTD 1 ChiTaRS 1 DMDM 1 DNASU 1 DisGeNET 1 EMBL 7 Ensembl 1 GO 2 Gene3D 1 GeneCards 1 GeneTree 1 GenomeRNAi 1 HAMAP 1 HGNC 1 HOGENOM 1 HPA 1 InParanoid 1 IntAct 1 InterPro 3 KEGG 1 MANE-Select 1 MIM 1 MINT 1 MassIVE 1 NCBI Taxonomy 1 NCBIfam 1 OMA 1 OpenTargets 1 OrthoDB 1 PANTHER 2 PIRSF 1 PRO 1 PathwayCommons 1 PaxDb 1 PeptideAtlas 1 Pfam 1 PharmGKB 1 Pharos 1 PhosphoSitePlus 1 PhylomeDB 1 Proteomes 1 ProteomicsDB 2 RNAct 1 RefSeq 1 SMR 1 STRING 1 SUPFAM 1 SignaLink 1 TreeFam 1 UCSC 1 VEuPathDB 1 eggNOG 1 iPTMnet 1 neXtProt 1

Citations:

PubMed ID: 11054555

Title: Human allantoicase gene: cDNA cloning, genomic organization and chromosome localization.

PubMed ID: 11054555

DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(00)00342-5

PubMed ID: 14702039

Title: Complete sequencing and characterization of 21,243 full-length human cDNAs.

PubMed ID: 14702039

DOI: 10.1038/ng1285

PubMed ID: 15815621

Title: Generation and annotation of the DNA sequences of human chromosomes 2 and 4.

PubMed ID: 15815621

DOI: 10.1038/nature03466

PubMed ID: 15489334

Title: The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC).

PubMed ID: 15489334

DOI: 10.1101/gr.2596504

PubMed ID: 12036579

Title: Genomic organization and chromosome localization of the murine and human allantoicase gene.

PubMed ID: 12036579

DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(02)00541-3

Sequence Information:

  • Length: 391
  • Mass: 43559
  • Checksum: C8B5FFDD67BE0B9B
  • Sequence:
    • MDMASESVGG KILFATDDFF APAENLIKSD SPCFKEHEYT EFGKWMDGWE TRRKRIPGHD 
WCVLRLGIQG VIRGFDVDVS YFTGDYAPRV SIQAANLEED KLPEIPERGT RTGAAATPEE 
FEAIAELKSD DWSYLVPMTE LKPGNPASGH NYFLVNSQQR WTHIRLNIFP DGGIARLRVF 
GTGQKDWTAT DPKEPADLVA IAFGGVCVGF SNAKFGHPNN IIGVGGAKSM ADGWETARRL 
DRPPILENDE NGILLVPGCE WAVFRLAHPG VITRIEIDTK YFEGNAPDSC KVDGCILTTQ 
EEEAVIRQKW ILPAHKWKPL LPVTKLSPNQ SHLFDSLTLE LQDVITHARL TIVPDGGVSR 
LRLRGFPSSI CLLRPREKPM LKFSVSFKAN P