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GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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IQUB
IQ motif and ubiquitin domain containing
Chromosome 7 · 7q31.32
NCBI Gene: 154865Ensembl: ENSG00000164675.12HGNC: HGNC:21995UniProt: Q8NA54
23PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
matingflagellated sperm motilityprotein bindingmotile ciliumalcohol drinkingtype 2 diabetes mellitusazoospermiadiabetes mellitus
✦AI Summary

IQUB (IQ motif and ubiquitin domain containing) is an adapter protein that plays a critical role in flagellar and ciliary function by anchoring the radial spoke 1 (RS1) complex to the A microtubule of outer doublet microtubules in axonemes 1. The protein is essential for proper sperm flagellar motility, as IQUB deficiency causes male infertility characterized by asthenozoospermia despite normal sperm morphology 12. Mechanistically, IQUB functions by recruiting calmodulin in low calcium environments and inhibiting RSPH3/p-ERK1/2 activity to facilitate normal radial spoke assembly 1. The protein is specifically required for RS1 assembly but not RS2 or RS3, and its absence results in deficiency of RS1 while leaving other radial spokes intact 32. Beyond reproductive function, IQUB has been implicated in cancer biology, where upregulation promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and migration via the Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway 4. Mutations in IQUB cause structural defects in sperm flagella that can be addressed through assisted reproductive technologies like ICSI 2.

Sources cited
1
IQUB anchors RS1 complex to A microtubule and causes male infertility when deficient
PMID: 36355624
2
IQUB mutations cause asthenozoospermia with normal sperm morphology and RS1 deficiency
PMID: 39849482
3
IQUB is required for RS1 assembly but not RS2 or RS3 in mouse models
PMID: 36417862
4
IQUB promotes breast cancer cell proliferation via Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway
PMID: 29968965
⚠Limited data available — This gene has 4 indexed publications. Summary and analysis may be incomplete.
Disease Associationsⓘ20
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.29Weak
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.24Weak
azoospermiaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
Male infertility with spermatogenesis disorder due to single gene mutationOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 83Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 19Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 43Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 45Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 49Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 82Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 16Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 21Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 18Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 27Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 46Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure, X-linked, 5Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 3Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 55Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 72Open Targets
0.08Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
CFAP161Shared pathway100%TEKT2Shared pathway67%NME8Shared pathway67%TEKT3Shared pathway67%TEKT1Shared pathway67%TEKT5Shared pathway67%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Ovary
87%
Lung
69%
Heart
51%
Liver
16%
Bone Marrow
2%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
IQUBCFAP161TEKT2NME8TEKT3TEKT1TEKT5
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB8J07 · 4.10 Å · EM
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.21LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.97 [0.78–1.21]
RankingsWhere IQUB stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #13,440of 20,598
    Most Researched23
  • #12,724of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.21
Genes detectedIQUB
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Differential requirements of IQUB for the assembly of radial spoke 1 and the motility of mouse cilia and flagella.
PMID: 36417862
Cell Rep · 2022
1.00
2
IQUB deficiency causes male infertility by affecting the activity of p-ERK1/2/RSPH3.
PMID: 36355624
Hum Reprod · 2023
0.90
3
Upregulated IQUB promotes cell proliferation and migration via activating Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer.
PMID: 29968965
Cancer Med · 2018
0.80
4
IQUB mutation induces radial spoke 1 deficiency causing asthenozoospermia with normal sperm morphology in humans and mice.
PMID: 39849482
Cell Commun Signal · 2025
0.70
5
Combining bioinformatics, network pharmacology and artificial intelligence to predict the mechanism of celastrol in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
PMID: 36339449
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · 2022
0.60