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26 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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MSLN
mesothelin
Chromosome 16 · 16p13.3
NCBI Gene: 10232Ensembl: ENSG00000102854.17HGNC: HGNC:7371UniProt: Q13421
179PubMed Papers
20Diseases
5Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
CLINICAL
Clinical Trials
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingplasma membranecell-matrix adhesioncell surfaceneoplasmmesotheliomamalignant pleural mesotheliomaovarian cancer
✦AI Summary

MSLN (mesothelin) is a cell surface glycoprotein that plays significant roles in cancer progression and serves as a promising therapeutic target. MSLN promotes tumor metastasis through multiple mechanisms, including facilitating blood-brain barrier penetration in non-small cell lung cancer by activating MET signaling via the JNK pathway 1. In colorectal cancer, MSLN expression is upregulated by WNT5A signaling from cancer-associated fibroblasts, promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor invasiveness 2. As a therapeutic target, MSLN is overexpressed in various solid tumors including ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and mesothelioma 345. MSLN-directed CAR-T cell therapies have shown promising results in preclinical and early clinical studies, with enhanced efficacy when combined with IL-7 and CCL19 secretion or modified CD3ζ signaling domains 467. The protein's tumor-specific expression pattern makes it an attractive target for immunotherapy approaches, including CAR-T cells and bispecific antibodies, particularly for treating solid tumors where conventional therapies have limited efficacy 85.

Sources cited
1
MSLN promotes brain metastasis in NSCLC by activating MET through JNK signaling
PMID: 38570866
2
MSLN expression is upregulated by WNT5A signaling and promotes EMT in colorectal cancer
PMID: 40050872
3
MSLN-directed CAR-T cells show therapeutic potential against ovarian cancer
PMID: 33795251
4
IL-7 and CCL19-secreting MSLN CAR-T cells show enhanced antitumor activity in solid tumors
PMID: 34325726
5
Modified MSLN CAR-T cells with single ITAM show superior persistence and antitumor activity
PMID: 36746513
6
Long-acting IL-7 improves MSLN CAR-T cell therapy efficacy in solid tumors
PMID: 39043602
7
Trivalent bispecific antibodies targeting MSLN show potential for lung cancer treatment
PMID: 40696802
8
MSLN can be targeted in synNotch CAR circuits for improved solid tumor recognition
PMID: 33910981
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.14Weak
mesotheliomaOpen Targets
0.14Weak
malignant pleural mesotheliomaOpen Targets
0.13Weak
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.12Weak
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.10Weak
Miyoshi myopathyOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
cervical cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
cholangiocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
pancreatic carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
lung neoplasmOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
metabolic syndromeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets5
AMATUXIMABPhase II
Mesothelin inhibitor
mesothelioma
ANETUMAB RAVTANSINEPhase II
Tubulin inhibitor
malignant pleural mesothelioma
LMB-100Phase II
Mesothelin binding agent
mesothelioma
RG-7600Phase I
Tubulin inhibitor
ovarian cancer
SS1(DSFV)-PE38Phase I
Mesothelin binding agent
Related Genes
THBS3Shared pathway100%MUC16Protein interaction81%CEACAM5Protein interaction79%MUC1Protein interaction79%PSCAProtein interaction79%FOLH1Protein interaction76%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Heart
2%
Ovary
2%
Bone Marrow
2%
Liver
1%
Brain
1%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
MSLNTHBS3MUC16CEACAM5MUC1PSCAFOLH1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB7U8C · 1.74 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.48LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.23 [1.03–1.48]
RankingsWhere MSLN stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #2,438of 20,598
    Most Researched179 · top quartile
  • #15,026of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.48
Genes detectedMSLN
Sources retrieved26 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
26▼
1
Single-cell and spatial transcriptome profiling reveal CTHRC1+ fibroblasts promote EMT through WNT5A signaling in colorectal cancer.
PMID: 40050872
J Transl Med · 2025
1.00
2
Mesothelin-Specific CAR T Cells Target Ovarian Cancer.
PMID: 33795251
Cancer Res · 2021
0.90
3
IL-7 and CCL19-secreting CAR-T cell therapy for tumors with positive glypican-3 or mesothelin.
PMID: 34325726
J Hematol Oncol · 2021
0.80
4
Tuned activation of MSLN-CAR T cells induces superior antitumor responses in ovarian cancer models.
PMID: 36746513
J Immunother Cancer · 2023
0.70
5
Human CAR T cells with cell-intrinsic PD-1 checkpoint blockade resist tumor-mediated inhibition.
PMID: 27454297
J Clin Invest · 2016
0.68