CCDC167 is a member of the coiled-coil domain-containing (CCDC) protein family, characterized by structural motifs formed by α-helices coiled together. These motifs enable interactions with other proteins and participation in diverse cellular processes, including cell cycle regulation, signal transduction, and immune responses. Recombinant CCDC167 proteins are engineered to study its function, often expressed in heterologous systems (e.g., E. coli or insect cells) with tags (e.g., His, rho-1D4) for purification and structural analysis .
The mouse ortholog of CCDC167 shares conserved structural features with human CCDC167, including heptad repeats (hxxhcxc) critical for coiled-coil formation . Recombinant mouse CCDC167 is used to model species-specific interactions and disease mechanisms in murine models.
CCDC167 contains a coiled-coil domain that facilitates dimerization or oligomerization, enabling interactions with partners like ARFGEF3, CHMP7, and LRRTM4 . These interactions are implicated in:
The functional significance of Ccdc167 was established through a three-phase experimental design:
Bioinformatic screening: Integration of GSE64913 (airway epithelium) and GSE137268 (induced sputum) datasets identified 1,710 differentially expressed genes (DEGs)
Machine learning validation: LASSO regression, Random Forest (30-tree model), and SVM (5-fold CV accuracy 0.81) converged on Ccdc167 as a hub gene
In vivo confirmation: shRNA-mediated Ccdc167 knockdown in BALB/c mice reduced eosinophil infiltration by 63% and normalized airway remodeling metrics (WAi/Pi decreased from 1.42±0.15 to 0.89±0.11)
ELISA quantification of BALF cytokines (IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13)
Histopathological scoring of H&E/PAS-stained lung sections
Quantitative assessment of airway remodeling through WAi/WAm and N/Pi ratios
Three critical factors require optimization:
Researchers should employ orthogonal validation through:
Western blotting with recombinant protein controls
RNAscope in situ hybridization for spatial localization
Flow cytometry using intracellular staining protocols
A 2024 study addressing Ccdc167's dual roles in oncology and pulmonology recommends:
Context-specific analysis: Compare transcriptomic profiles from TCGA (cancer) vs. GEO asthma datasets
Pathway enrichment: Conduct GSEA using KEGG pathways specific to each disease (e.g., glycosphingolipid biosynthesis for asthma vs. cell cycle for cancer)
Conditional knockout models: Use Cre-LoxP system with Club cell-specific (Scgb1a1-Cre) vs. epithelial-specific (KRT5-Cre) drivers
| Model System | Expression Change | Key Associated Pathways |
|---|---|---|
| OVA-induced asthma | 4.2× upregulated | Mucin biosynthesis, IL-13 signaling |
| Breast cancer | 3.1× upregulated | Cell cycle progression, Wnt/β-catenin |
A multi-modal approach is required to study these structural motifs:
Computational prediction:
Use DeepCoil (α=0.75 confidence threshold) for domain mapping
Perform molecular dynamics simulations of CC dimer formation
Experimental validation:
Circular dichroism spectroscopy (190-260 nm scan)
Co-immunoprecipitation with truncated mutants (ΔCC1-ΔCC3)
Cryo-EM structure determination at 3.2Å resolution
Critical finding: The C-terminal CC domain mediates 78% of Ccdc167's protein-protein interactions in airway epithelial cells .
The 2024 asthma study demonstrated protocol efficacy through:
| Parameter | shNC Group | shCCDC167 Group | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| BALF Eosinophils | 4.1×10⁵/mL | 1.5×10⁵/mL | <0.001 |
| WAi/Pi Ratio | 1.42 ± 0.15 | 0.89 ± 0.11 | 0.004 |
| IL-13 Concentration | 238.7 pg/mL | 112.4 pg/mL | 0.002 |
To enhance specificity:
Use AAV6 vectors with hCEFI promoters for airway epithelium-specific delivery
Employ CRISPR-Cas9 base editing (ABE8.20m) for precise C-terminal domain modification
Implement single-cell RNA sequencing (10x Genomics) to monitor off-target pathway activation
The original study's machine learning pipeline provides a validated framework:
Data preprocessing:
Combat-seq batch correction for multi-dataset integration
Variance stabilizing transformation for RNA-seq counts
Feature selection:
LASSO regression (λ = 0.023) with 10-fold cross-validation
Random Forest (Gini impurity <0.4 exclusion threshold)
Validation:
Critical metrics: Maintain AUC >0.75 for biomarker potential and FDR <0.05 in pathway enrichment analyses.
A 2024 multi-center analysis recommends:
Reference materials: Use recombinant Ccdc167 (Lot #CC167-REC-2024) for assay calibration
Normalization: Apply DESeq2's median ratio method for RNA studies
Cross-platform validation:
RNA-seq: Illumina NovaSeq 6000 (2×150 bp)
Protein: Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel
Include housekeeping genes (PPIA, RPL13A) with stability M-value <0.5
Validate antibody specificity using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout clones