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26 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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CD63
CD63 molecule
Chromosome 12 · 12q13.2
NCBI Gene: 967Ensembl: ENSG00000135404.13HGNC: HGNC:1692UniProt: P08962
249PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Hub GeneTransporter
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
regulation of potassium ion transmembrane transportprotein bindingpositive regulation of receptor internalizationcell-matrix adhesionfundus albipunctatusRetinal dystrophyretinitis punctata albescenscongenital stationary night blindness
✦AI Summary

CD63 is a tetraspanin that functions as a master regulator of endosomal trafficking and extracellular vesicle biogenesis. Structurally, CD63 contains four transmembrane domains and localizes to both the plasma membrane and late endosomes/lysosomes 1. Primary to its function, CD63 acts as a cell surface receptor for TIMP1 and regulates integrin signaling through ITGB1 activation, promoting cell survival, adhesion, migration, and actin cytoskeleton reorganization via AKT and FAK/PTK2 pathways. CD63 also modulates VEGFA signaling through KDR/VEGFR2 internalization regulation. Mechanistically, CD63 operates as a lipid-sorting molecule that directs cholesterol into intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes, generating a mobilizable pool exported via exosomes 2. The protein undergoes clathrin-dependent endocytosis and enriches on intraluminal vesicles for exosomal secretion 1, with endocytosis inhibition promoting its vesicular secretion 3. CD63 expression is iron-regulated via the IRE-IRP system, influencing ferritin secretion in extracellular vesicles 4. ESCRT machinery components including HRS and TSG101 facilitate CD63-containing exosome secretion 5. Clinically, CD63-positive epididymosomes from human semen improve sperm function 6, suggesting therapeutic potential. However, CD63 plays only marginal roles in general protein sorting into extracellular vesicles 7, highlighting specialized rather than global EV composition functions.

Sources cited
1
CD63 is a tetraspanin with four transmembrane domains present in tetraspanin-enriched microdomains and late endosomes/lysosomes; undergoes clathrin-dependent endocytosis
PMID: 18930046
2
CD63 sorts cholesterol into intraluminal vesicles for storage and exosomal export; operates as a lipid-sorting mechanism in endosomes
PMID: 38886558
3
Endocytosis inhibition triggers CD63 vesicular secretion and plasma membrane accumulation; CD63 blocks endocytosis to promote exosomal release
PMID: 38718108
4
CD63 expression is regulated by the IRE-IRP iron-responsive system; iron loading increases CD63+ EV secretion containing ferritin
PMID: 34265052
5
ESCRT components HRS and TSG101 reduce CD63 secretion; VPS4B depletion augments CD63-associated EV secretion
PMID: 24105262
6
CD63-positive epididymosomes isolated from human semen improve sperm function more than other CD63+ seminal EV subpopulations
PMID: 39417597
7
CD63, CD9, and CD81 play marginal roles in determining protein composition of extracellular vesicles in MCF7 cells
PMID: 37525398
8
CD63 enriches on intraluminal vesicles that are secreted as exosomes through endosomal fusion with plasma membrane
PMID: 18930046
Disease Associationsⓘ20
fundus albipunctatusOpen Targets
0.56Moderate
Retinal dystrophyOpen Targets
0.49Moderate
retinitis punctata albescensOpen Targets
0.42Moderate
congenital stationary night blindnessOpen Targets
0.41Moderate
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.37Weak
genetic disorderOpen Targets
0.19Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.11Weak
melanomaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
glioblastomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
anaplastic astrocytomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
SepsisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
human papilloma virus infectionOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
LAMP1Protein interaction100%PDCD6IPProtein interaction100%ANXA2Protein interaction100%TIMP1Protein interaction100%SCARB2Protein interaction99%CLEC7AProtein interaction99%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Heart
65%
Bone Marrow
53%
Ovary
51%
Liver
37%
Brain
33%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
CD63LAMP1PDCD6IPANXA2TIMP1SCARB2CLEC7A
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt P08962
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.80LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.01Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.53 [0.36–0.80]
RankingsWhere CD63 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,544of 20,598
    Most Researched249 · top 10%
  • #6,649of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.80
Genes detectedCD63
Sources retrieved26 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
26▼
1
Trafficking and function of the tetraspanin CD63.
PMID: 18930046
Exp Cell Res · 2009
1.00
2
CD63 sorts cholesterol into endosomes for storage and distribution via exosomes.
PMID: 38886558
Nat Cell Biol · 2024
0.90
3
Specificities of exosome versus small ectosome secretion revealed by live intracellular tracking of CD63 and CD9.
PMID: 34282141
Nat Commun · 2021
0.80
4
Endocytosis blocks the vesicular secretion of exosome marker proteins.
PMID: 38718108
Sci Adv · 2024
0.70
5
A novel multiplexed immunoassay for surface-exposed proteins in plasma extracellular vesicles.
PMID: 39498678
J Extracell Vesicles · 2024
0.68