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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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PLAC1
placenta enriched 1
Chromosome X · Xq26.3
NCBI Gene: 10761Ensembl: ENSG00000170965.11HGNC: HGNC:9044UniProt: Q9HBJ0
55PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
placenta developmentextracellular regionOligomenorrheaMenorrhagianeurodegenerative diseasePolymenorrhea
✦AI Summary

PLAC1 (placenta-enriched 1) is an X-linked, cancer-testis-placenta (CTP) antigen with dual roles in placental development and cancer progression. During normal pregnancy, PLAC1 is exclusively expressed by trophoblast cells throughout gestation and localizes to the syncytiotrophoblast microvillous membrane 1. Its expression is stimulated by keratinocyte growth factor, suggesting involvement in placental growth and differentiation 1. However, PLAC1 is aberrantly expressed in diverse human cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer 23. In HNSCC, PLAC1 promotes tumor progression by inducing epidermal growth factor receptor endocytosis and recycling to enhance PI3K/AKT signaling 4. SP1 transcription factor regulates PLAC1 expression in cancer cells 4. PLAC1+ tumor cells establish a reciprocal protumor loop by recruiting CD4+ T cells via CXCL11/CXCR3 and inducing Treg differentiation via PVR/TIGIT 4. Elevated PLAC1 expression in colorectal cancer liver metastases correlates with poor prognosis and metastatic potential 5. Given its restricted normal expression and cancer association, PLAC1 represents a promising immunotherapeutic target for personalized cancer treatment 36.

Sources cited
1
PLAC1 promotes HNSCC progression via EGFR endocytosis/recycling and PI3K/AKT signaling; SP1 regulates PLAC1; PLAC1+ cells recruit CD4+ T cells and induce Tregs forming protumor loops
PMID: 40056047
2
PLAC1 is X-linked, trophoblast-specific during pregnancy, localizes to syncytiotrophoblast membrane, and is expressed in diverse human cancers with potential to promote tumor growth
PMID: 20509147
3
PLAC1 is designated a cancer-testis-placenta antigen with restricted normal tissue expression, promotes cancer progression, and has potential utility in cancer immunotherapy
PMID: 31165204
4
PLAC1 is expressed exclusively by trophoblasts throughout human gestation, localizes to microvillous plasma membrane, and is stimulated by keratinocyte growth factor
PMID: 12412044
5
PLAC1 expression is elevated in colorectal cancer liver metastases and correlates with poor prognosis, differentiation degree, and lymph node metastasis
PMID: 37568074
6
PLAC1 is a cancer-testis-placenta antigen with restricted normal tissue expression and potential as an immunotherapeutic target; recombinant PLAC1 with immunostimulatory peptides induces enhanced humoral immune responses
PMID: 35509359
Disease Associationsⓘ20
MenorrhagiaOpen Targets
0.24Weak
OligomenorrheaOpen Targets
0.24Weak
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.24Weak
PolymenorrheaOpen Targets
0.23Weak
endometriosisOpen Targets
0.18Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
preeclampsiaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
acute lymphoblastic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
pancreatic adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
colorectal adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
EP400Protein interaction100%DMAP1Protein interaction100%MEAF6Protein interaction100%TRRAPProtein interaction100%KAT5Protein interaction100%ING3Protein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Ovary
100%
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
20%
Brain
10%
Liver
0%
Heart
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
PLAC1EP400DMAP1MEAF6TRRAPKAT5ING3
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q9HBJ0
View on AlphaFold ↗
RankingsWhere PLAC1 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #8,236of 20,598
    Most Researched55
Genes detectedPLAC1
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Plac1
PMID: 40056047
Adv Sci (Weinh) · 2025
1.00
2
PLAC1 (Placenta-specific 1): a novel, X-linked gene with roles in reproductive and cancer biology.
PMID: 20509147
Prenat Diagn · 2010
0.90
3
PLAC1: biology and potential application in cancer immunotherapy.
PMID: 31165204
Cancer Immunol Immunother · 2019
0.80
4
PLAC1, a trophoblast-specific gene, is expressed throughout pregnancy in the human placenta and modulated by keratinocyte growth factor.
PMID: 12412044
Mol Reprod Dev · 2002
0.70
5
Optimized protocol for soluble prokaryotic expression, purification and structural analysis of human placenta specific-1(PLAC1).
PMID: 28315746
Protein Expr Purif · 2017
0.60