Description
Zinc-α-2-Glycoprotein (AZGP1) can be found in blood plasma, seminal plasma, urine, sweat, saliva, liver, and epithelial cells of various human glands. AZGP1 has been proposed in the regulation of body weight, and the melanin production by normal and malignant melanocytes. AZGP1 stimulates lipid degradation in adipocytes and causes the extensive fat losses associated with some advanced cancers. AZGP1 has been reported to stimulate lipid breakdown and may have an important role in lipid homeostasis. Mature human AZGP1 consists of one MHC class I antigen region and a C2-type Ig-like domain. AZGP1 has two alternate splice forms, one shows a 66 amino acids substitution for the C-terminal 30 amino acids, the other one shows a nine Lys substitution for amino acid 151-298.