C1QTNF1, also known as C1q And TNF Related 1, is a novel adipokine and a member of the C1q and TNF-related protein (CTRP) family. It has diverse biological influences. In the cardiovascular system, it is involved in regulating cardiac hypertrophy through the AMPKa pathway [2]. In the context of lipid metabolism and inflammation, it may act as a key mediator in macrophages [4]. It also has implications in diseases like dyslipidemia, where it was prioritized as a potential therapeutic target [3].

In a study using C1QTNF1 knock-out mice, C1QTNF1 deficiency was found to accelerate cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, inflammation responses, and oxidative stress with deteriorating cardiac dysfunction in the Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy mouse model. This indicates that C1QTNF1 is a negative regulator of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy [2]. In kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), knockdown of C1QTNF1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, suggesting its role in tumor progression [1].

In conclusion, C1QTNF1 plays important roles in biological processes such as cardiac function regulation and in disease conditions like cardiac hypertrophy and KIRC. Gene knockout mouse models have been crucial in revealing its functions in these areas, providing insights that could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies for related diseases.

References:

1. Qiu, Jiechuan, Wang, Zicheng, Zhao, Leizuo, Xu, Yingkun, Xia, Qinghua. 2023. High C1QTNF1 expression mediated by potential ncRNAs is associated with poor prognosis and tumor immunity in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. In Frontiers in molecular biosciences, 10, 1201155. doi:10.3389/fmolb.2023.1201155. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37529377/

2. Wu, Leiming, Gao, Lu, Zhang, Dianhong, Liang, Cui, Zhang, Yanzhou. 2018. C1QTNF1 attenuates angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy via activation of the AMPKa pathway. In Free radical biology & medicine, 121, 215-230. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.05.004. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29733904/

3. Kim, Min Seo, Song, Minku, Kim, Beomsu, Do, Ron, Won, Hong-Hee. 2023. Prioritization of therapeutic targets for dyslipidemia using integrative multi-omics and multi-trait analysis. In Cell reports. Medicine, 4, 101112. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101112. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37582372/

4. Budnik, Agnieszka, Sabasińska-Grześ, Marta, Michnowska-Kobylińska, Magdalena, Kamiński, Karol Adam, Konopińska, Joanna. 2022. Elevated Plasma Levels of C1qTNF1 Protein in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Glucose Disturbances. In Journal of clinical medicine, 11, . doi:10.3390/jcm11154391. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35956011/