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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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NAPSA
napsin A aspartic peptidase
Chromosome 19 · 19q13.33
NCBI Gene: 9476Ensembl: ENSG00000131400.10HGNC: HGNC:13395UniProt: M0QXC5
78PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Protease
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
endopeptidase activitysurfactant homeostasisGO:0005615lysosomeCOVID-19goutmajor depressive disordermyoepithelial tumor
✦AI Summary

NAPSA (napsin A aspartic peptidase) is an aspartic protease primarily expressed in lung alveolar cells and kidney podocytes 12. Its primary function involves processing of pneumocyte surfactant precursors and protein proteolysis within lysosomes and alveolar lamellar bodies 3. NAPSA has emerged as clinically significant in multiple disease contexts. In COVID-19 severity, NAPSA was identified as a putative causal gene through genome-wide association studies and multi-omics analysis, with variants at the 19q13.33 locus associated with respiratory failure in European populations 14. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), reduced NAPSA expression in tumor tissues correlates with poor prognosis, and NAPSA downregulation enhances TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition, suggesting a tumor suppressor role 2. NAPSA serves as a useful immunohistochemical marker for differential diagnosis, with NAPSA and ESR1 expression together showing 97.9% sensitivity and 72.2% specificity for distinguishing endometrial serous carcinoma from clear cell carcinoma 5. In lung adenocarcinoma, NAPSA was identified as part of a prognostic cell death signature associated with patient outcomes 6. These findings suggest NAPSA has potential utility as both a diagnostic biomarker and prognostic indicator across multiple malignancies.

Sources cited
1
NAPSA locus (19q13.33) associated with COVID-19 respiratory failure; NAPSA expressed in alveolar cells
PMID: 35848942
2
NAPSA expressed in kidney podocytes and ccRCC epithelial cells; reduced expression associated with poor prognosis; NAPSA silencing increases TGF-β1-induced EMT
PMID: 40194687
3
NAPSA and ESR1 combination shows 97.9% sensitivity and 72.2% specificity for ESC versus clear cell carcinoma diagnosis
PMID: 27167671
4
NAPSA identified as putative causal gene for COVID-19 severity through multi-omics analysis
PMID: 34183789
5
NAPSA used in gene expression panel for NSCLC histological classification, relevant for adenocarcinoma diagnosis
PMID: 30914778
6
NAPSA identified as pivotal programmed cell death gene in lung adenocarcinoma prognostic signature
PMID: 39948103
7
NAPSA expression in kidney correlated with changes in gut microbiota-associated metabolites in hyperuricemia model
PMID: 39492788
Disease Associationsⓘ20
COVID-19Open Targets
0.32Weak
goutOpen Targets
0.20Weak
major depressive disorderOpen Targets
0.19Weak
myoepithelial tumorOpen Targets
0.11Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.10Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
metabolic syndromeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
small cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
clear cell adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
clostridium difficile infectionOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
AIDS dementiaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
KRT7Protein interaction88%CDX2Protein interaction82%NKX2-1Protein interaction82%PAX8Protein interaction82%KRT20Protein interaction82%SFTPBProtein interaction80%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Liver
1%
Ovary
1%
Bone Marrow
0%
Heart
0%
Brain
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
NAPSAKRT7CDX2NKX2-1PAX8KRT20SFTPB
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O96009
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.30LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.00 [0.77–1.30]
RankingsWhere NAPSA stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #6,090of 20,598
    Most Researched78
  • #13,730of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.30
Genes detectedNAPSA
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Detailed stratified GWAS analysis for severe COVID-19 in four European populations.
PMID: 35848942
Hum Mol Genet · 2022
1.00
2
Revealing NAPSA's role in ccRCC: Insights from single-cell RNA sequencing.
PMID: 40194687
Gene · 2025
0.90
3
Immunohistochemical Profiling of Endometrial Serous Carcinoma.
PMID: 27167671
Int J Gynecol Pathol · 2017
0.80
4
Adult Protective Services Training: Insights from California Caseworkers.
PMID: 33461425
J Gerontol Soc Work · 2021
0.70
5
Causal effects of gut microbiota on gout and hyperuricemia: insights from genome-wide Mendelian randomization, RNA-sequencing, 16S rRNA sequencing, and metabolomes.
PMID: 39492788
Biosci Rep · 2024
0.60