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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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TBCA
tubulin folding cofactor A
Chromosome 5 · 5q14.1
NCBI Gene: 6902Ensembl: ENSG00000171530.15HGNC: HGNC:11579UniProt: E5RIX8
68PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
microtubule cytoskeletonRNA bindingprotein bindingtubulin complex assemblyneurodegenerative diseaselung diseasealopeciaInguinal hernia
✦AI Summary

TBCA (tubulin folding cofactor A) is a tubulin-binding protein involved in the early steps of tubulin folding and the post-chaperonin tubulin folding pathway 1. TBCA functions as part of the TBCE/TBCB+TBCA system to recycle tubulin heterodimers by receiving β-tubulin from the dissociation of pre-existing heterodimers, thereby controlling free tubulin heterodimer concentration and microtubule dynamics 1. In cancer biology, TBCA promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression, invasion, and metastasis through modulation of cytoskeleton integration and cell cycle regulation 2. Clinically, TBCA has emerged as a significant biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases. Higher plasma TBCA levels are associated with lower Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk 3, and TBCA is dysregulated in preclinical AD, particularly in an APOE-ε4-dependent manner where APOE-ε4 downregulates TBCA yet AD upregulates it 4. Notably, TBCA was nominated as a putative resilience gene that genetically protects individuals from Parkinson's disease despite high genetic risk burden 5. Additionally, TBCA was identified among proteins enriched by SGLT2 inhibitors in heart failure, contributing to enhanced mitochondrial health and ATP production 6. These findings suggest TBCA's involvement in both pathological and protective mechanisms across multiple neurodegenerative and cardiovascular conditions.

Sources cited
1
TBCA is a tubulin folding cofactor that receives β-tubulin from heterodimer dissociation and controls free tubulin concentration and microtubule dynamics as part of the TBCE/TBCB+TBCA system
PMID: 33968934
2
TBCA is aberrantly expressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and promotes cancer progression, invasion, and metastasis through cytoskeleton modulation and cell cycle regulation
PMID: 23740643
3
Higher plasma TBCA levels are significantly associated with lower Alzheimer's disease risk
PMID: 35475137
4
TBCA is dysregulated in preclinical Alzheimer's disease in an APOE-ε4-dependent manner, downregulated by APOE-ε4 but upregulated by disease onset
PMID: 39169269
5
TBCA is nominated as a putative resilience gene protecting individuals from Parkinson's disease despite high genetic risk burden
PMID: 35599344
6
TBCA is enriched by SGLT2 inhibitors in heart failure and contributes to enhanced mitochondrial health and ATP production
PMID: 39217550
7
TBCA is nominated as a candidate upstream effector of APOE4-associated proteomic changes in early Alzheimer's disease pathology
PMID: 40799961
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.53Moderate
lung diseaseOpen Targets
0.29Weak
alopeciaOpen Targets
0.23Weak
Inguinal herniaOpen Targets
0.22Weak
ovarian neoplasmOpen Targets
0.18Weak
color vision disorderOpen Targets
0.14Weak
cardiac transplantOpen Targets
0.14Weak
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
peripheral arterial diseaseOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Abruptio PlacentaeOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Hashimoto's thyroiditisOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
nonpapillary renal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
osteoporosisOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
hypoparathyroidism-retardation-dysmorphism syndromeOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
TBCCShared pathway100%TUBBProtein interaction99%TUBB4AProtein interaction98%TUBA4AProtein interaction96%TUBB6Protein interaction77%TUBB4BProtein interaction76%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Liver
94%
Ovary
74%
Bone Marrow
49%
Lung
49%
Heart
46%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TBCATBCCTUBBTUBB4ATUBA4ATUBB6TUBB4B
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB1H7C · 1.80 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.07LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.20Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.47 [0.23–1.07]
RankingsWhere TBCA stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #6,953of 20,598
    Most Researched68
  • #10,804of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.07
Genes detectedTBCA
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Serum proteomics reveal APOE-ε4-dependent and APOE-ε4-independent protein signatures in Alzheimer's disease.
PMID: 39169269
Nat Aging · 2024
1.00
2
Can smartphones enhance telephone-based cognitive assessment (TBCA)?
PMID: 24351736
Int J Environ Res Public Health · 2013
0.90
3
Reaffirmation of Mechanistic Proteomic Signatures Accompanying SGLT2 Inhibition in Patients With Heart Failure: A Validation Cohort of the EMPEROR Program.
PMID: 39217550
J Am Coll Cardiol · 2024
0.80
4
Genome- and epigenome-wide studies of plasma protein biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease implicate TBCA and TREM2 in disease risk.
PMID: 35475137
Alzheimers Dement (Amst) · 2022
0.70
5
Colchicine Blocks Tubulin Heterodimer Recycling by Tubulin Cofactors TBCA, TBCB, and TBCE.
PMID: 33968934
Front Cell Dev Biol · 2021
0.60