Protein c is associated with the membrane and is known to be responsible for signal transduction. it is coded for by a gene named "c". a malfunctioning c protein is encoded by an allele called cm. it is a mutant allele. the malfunctioning c protein has nearly the same size as the wild type. the malfunctioning protein associates with the plasma membrane like the wild type, but it has no function in signal.

In liver, the most intensively studied transmembrane and intracellular signal transduction pathways are the Janus kinase signal transduction pathway, the mitogen-activated protein kinases signal transduction pathway, the transforming growth factor β signal transduction pathway, the tumor necrosis factor α signal transduction pathway and the recently discovered sphingolipid signal transduction pathway. All of them are activated by many different cytokines and growth factors. They regulate specific cell mechanisms such as hepatocytes proliferation, growth, differentiation, adhesion, apoptosis, and synthesis and degradation of the extracellular matrix. The replication cycle of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is intracellular and requires signal