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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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CAB39L
calcium binding protein 39 like
Chromosome 13 · 13q14.2
NCBI Gene: 81617Ensembl: ENSG00000102547.20HGNC: HGNC:20290UniProt: Q86WE6
38PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingprotein serine/threonine kinase activator activityintracellular signal transductioncytosolneurodegenerative diseaseexternal ear diseasegastric cancerneoplasm
✦AI Summary

CAB39L (calcium binding protein 39 like) functions as a critical regulator of cellular metabolism and tumor suppression through activation of the LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway. CAB39L forms a stabilizing complex with LKB1 and CAB39/MO25, which is required for LKB1 kinase activation 1. Once activated, this complex phosphorylates and activates AMPK, leading to downstream activation of PGC1α and promotion of oxidative phosphorylation over glycolysis 1. This mechanism elicits an anti-Warburg effect, shifting cellular metabolism away from the glycolytic phenotype characteristic of cancer cells 1. CAB39L expression is frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation in multiple cancer types, including gastric cancer, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, and bladder cancer 123. Loss of CAB39L contributes to carcinogenesis by dysregulating cellular differentiation programs and metabolic homeostasis 3. Clinically, CAB39L serves as both a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, with higher expression levels associated with improved patient survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma and kidney cancer 42. The protein also shows genetic associations with neuropathic pain susceptibility and metabolic traits like fat distribution 56.

Sources cited
1
CAB39L interacts with LKB1-STRAD complex to activate AMPK and elicit anti-Warburg effects in gastric cancer
PMID: 30054562
2
CAB39L is downregulated in kidney cancer and serves as diagnostic/prognostic biomarker
PMID: 37109674
3
CAB39L loss dysregulates urothelial differentiation and contributes to bladder carcinogenesis
PMID: 38676926
4
CAB39L expression correlates with patient survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma
PMID: 37023992
5
Genetic variants near CAB39L are associated with neuropathic pain susceptibility
PMID: 34854908
6
CAB39L variants show associations with endometriosis and fat distribution traits
PMID: 25296917
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.36Weak
external ear diseaseOpen Targets
0.25Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Blackfan-Diamond anemiaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
dominant beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hemoglobin D diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Hemoglobin C - beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hemoglobin C-beta-thalassemia syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
alpha thalassemia-intellectual disability syndrome type 1Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
Alpha-thalassemia - intellectual disability syndrome linked to chromosome 16Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
hemoglobin H diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hemolytic anemia due to diphosphoglycerate mutase deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
delta-beta-thalassemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
overhydrated hereditary stomatocytosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
PyropoikilocytosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
pyropoikilocytosis, hereditaryOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
MYZAPShared pathway100%LRRC69Shared pathway100%DCDC2CShared pathway100%LRRC18Shared pathway100%ASB18Shared pathway100%LRRC30Shared pathway100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Heart
87%
Ovary
78%
Lung
51%
Bone Marrow
16%
Liver
14%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
CAB39LMYZAPLRRC69DCDC2CLRRC18ASB18LRRC30
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB3ZHP · 2.90 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.90LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.59 [0.39–0.90]
RankingsWhere CAB39L stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #10,439of 20,598
    Most Researched38
  • #8,147of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.90
Genes detectedCAB39L
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Loss of LPAR6 and CAB39L dysregulates the basal-to-luminal urothelial differentiation program, contributing to bladder carcinogenesis.
PMID: 38676926
Cell Rep · 2024
1.00
2
A multi-omics Mendelian randomization study identifies new therapeutic targets for alcohol use disorder and problem drinking.
PMID: 39528761
Nat Hum Behav · 2025
0.90
3
Bioinformatics Prediction and Experimental Verification Identify CAB39L as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker of Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma.
PMID: 37109674
Medicina (Kaunas) · 2023
0.80
4
CAB39L elicited an anti-Warburg effect via a LKB1-AMPK-PGC1α axis to inhibit gastric tumorigenesis.
PMID: 30054562
Oncogene · 2018
0.70
5
LKB1 signaling and patient survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma.
PMID: 37023992
Pharmacol Res · 2023
0.60