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GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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PCLAF
PCNA clamp associated factor
Chromosome 15 · 15q22.31
NCBI Gene: 9768Ensembl: ENSG00000166803.15HGNC: HGNC:28961UniProt: Q15004
106PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
DNA RepairHub Gene
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
chromatin bindingprotein bindingmolecular adaptor activityDNA replicationAlzheimer diseasehepatocellular carcinomanon-small cell lung carcinomabreast cancer
✦AI Summary

PCLAF (PCNA clamp-associated factor) is a cell-cycle regulated protein that functions as a PCNA-binding regulator of DNA repair and replication. During normal DNA replication, PCLAF associates with PCNA; upon DNA damage, this interaction is disrupted, allowing monoubiquitinated PCNA to recruit translesion DNA polymerase eta (POLH) to facilitate bypass of replication-blocking lesions. Beyond DNA repair, PCLAF regulates centrosome number and cell cycle progression 1. In lung tissue, PCLAF drives alveolar cell plasticity through the PCLAF-DREAM complex, which transactivates CLIC4 and promotes AT2 to AT1 cell differentiation via TGF-β signaling activation 1. Genetic ablation of Pclaf impairs AT1 cell repopulation, leading to lung fibrosis 1. In regenerating lungs, Pclaf+ cells demonstrate elevated plasticity and contribute to alveolar epithelial cell restoration 2. Clinically, PCLAF is significantly overexpressed across multiple human cancers including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and endometrial cancer 3456. High PCLAF expression correlates with poor prognosis, increased proliferation, enhanced migration/invasion, and G1/S cell cycle acceleration via E2F1/PTTG1 and Wnt/β-catenin pathways 378. PCLAF overexpression is dysregulated by NF-κB signaling 3 and reduced DNA methylation, without gene amplification 4. These findings suggest PCLAF as a pan-cancer therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker.

Sources cited
1
PCLAF remodels DREAM complex to promote AT2-to-AT1 cell differentiation through CLIC4 and TGF-β signaling; Pclaf ablation causes lung fibrosis
PMID: 39448571
2
Pclaf+ cells show elevated plasticity in regenerating lungs and contribute to alveolar cell restoration
PMID: 40258811
3
PCLAF is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via NF-κB dysregulation; promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion
PMID: 32070873
4
PCLAF is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues without gene amplification; correlates with poor survival and Ki-67/p53 expression
PMID: 33743635
5
Pan-cancer analysis shows PCLAF highly expressed across 33 cancers with decreased DNA methylation; correlates with poor prognosis and immune infiltration
PMID: 35425993
6
PCLAF+ subtype identified in glioblastoma with high proliferative activity and therapeutic resistance; YEATS4 regulates this subtype
PMID: 40787449
7
PCLAF promotes neuroblastoma G1/S progression via E2F1/PTTG1 pathway; overexpression correlates with poor prognosis
PMID: 35210406
8
PCLAF is overexpressed in endometrial cancer; silencing inhibits proliferation and blocks G1 progression through Wnt/β-catenin suppression and p53 activation
PMID: 40446747
Disease Associationsⓘ20
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.27Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
esophageal squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
adrenal cortex carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
chronic lymphocytic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Alymphoid cystic thymic dysgenesisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
neutrophil immunodeficiency syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
short-limb skeletal dysplasia with severe combined immunodeficiencyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
reticular dysgenesisOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Myocardial IschemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
medulloblastomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
immunodeficiency 19Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
combined immunodeficiency with skin granulomasOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
HMMRProtein interaction100%CEP55Protein interaction100%KIF11Protein interaction100%ASPMProtein interaction99%BUB1Protein interaction99%MELKProtein interaction98%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Brain
12%
Liver
6%
Lung
4%
Ovary
2%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
PCLAFHMMRCEP55KIF11ASPMBUB1MELK
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB6IIW · 1.70 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.13LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.01Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.62 [0.37–1.13]
RankingsWhere PCLAF stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #4,494of 20,598
    Most Researched106 · top quartile
  • #11,645of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.13
Genes detectedPCLAF
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Targeted immunotherapy rescues pulmonary fibrosis by reducing activated fibroblasts and regulating alveolar cell profile.
PMID: 40258811
Nat Commun · 2025
1.00
2
PCLAF-DREAM drives alveolar cell plasticity for lung regeneration.
PMID: 39448571
Nat Commun · 2024
0.90
3
Dysregulated NF-κB signal promotes the hub gene PCLAF expression to facilitate nasopharyngeal carcinoma proliferation and metastasis.
PMID: 32070873
Biomed Pharmacother · 2020
0.80
4
PCNA-associated factor (KIAA0101/PCLAF) overexpression and gene copy number alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues.
PMID: 33743635
BMC Cancer · 2021
0.70
5
Pan‑cancer analyses reveal the regulation and clinical outcome association of PCLAF in human tumors.
PMID: 35425993
Int J Oncol · 2022
0.60