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Updated: May 22, 2025

Expression, Purification, and Antimicrobial Activity of S100A12
Published on: May 13, 2017
The "Jekyll Side" of the S100B Protein: Its Trophic Action in the Diet
Fabrizio Michetti1, Vincenzo Romano Spica1
1Department of Movement, Human, and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", 00135 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
The calcium-binding S100B protein is concentrated in glial cells (including enteroglial cells) in the nervous system. Its conformation and amino acid composition are significantly conserved in different species; this characteristic suggests conserved biological role(s) for the protein. The biological activity is concentration-dependent: low physiological concentrations exert a neurotrophic effect, while high concentrations exert a proinflammatory/toxic role. The proinflammatory/toxic role of S100B currently attracts the scientific community's primary attention, while the protein's physiological action remains unraveled-yet remarkably interesting. This is now a topical issue due to the recently consolidated notion that S100B is a natural trophic nutrient available in breast milk and/or other aliments, possibly interacting with other body districts through its impact on microbiota. These recent data may offer novel clues to understanding the role of this challenging protein.
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