Abstract: Placenta special gene 8 (plac8)which also named onzin, is a cysteine-riched protein with distinctive structure and special tissue expression pattern. Plac8 was extensively expressed in eukaryotes, and it regulated a series of physiological process, including proliferation, division, differentiation, and apoptosis, etc. Meanwhile, plac8 plays a critical role in immune response and tumor genesis via different signal pathways. In this study, we overviewed the structure, expression pattern, function and potential molecular mechanism of plac8.

Key words:  plac8, proliferation, differentiation, immune response； apoptosis, tumor