HomeAboutRankingsData Sources
© 2026 GeneE
🧬
GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
ⓘGeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
TRIM38
tripartite motif containing 38
Chromosome 6 · 6p22.2
NCBI Gene: 10475Ensembl: ENSG00000112343.12HGNC: HGNC:10059UniProt: O00635
53PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
positive regulation of viral entry into host celltranscription coactivator activitypositive regulation of canonical NF-kappaB signal transductionprotein bindingnon-alcoholic fatty liver diseasecolorectal carcinomacardiac hypertrophybladder transitional cell carcinoma
✦AI Summary

TRIM38 (tripartite motif containing 38) is an E3 ubiquitin-protein and E3 SUMO-protein ligase that serves as a critical regulator of innate immunity and cellular homeostasis 1. The protein functions as both a positive and negative regulator of immune signaling pathways depending on the context. TRIM38 negatively regulates type I interferon production by catalyzing K48-linked polyubiquitination of TICAM1, inhibiting TLR3-mediated signaling, while also acting as a positive regulator of the cGAS-STING pathway through sumoylation of CGAS and STING 1. In antiviral responses, TRIM38 restricts Zika virus replication by upregulating the RIG-I/MDA5 pathway, increasing IFN-β levels, and degrading viral NS3 protein through its E3 ligase activity 2. Beyond immunity, TRIM38 functions as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer by promoting K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation of CCT6A, which subsequently reduces c-Myc protein levels and inhibits the MYC pathway 3. In breast cancer, TRIM38 suppresses progression by promoting non-degradative K63-linked ubiquitination of SQSTM1/p62, disrupting autophagy 4. TRIM38 also regulates macrophage polarization by stabilizing HSPA5 through K63-dependent ubiquitination, promoting M2 macrophage markers and reducing hepatic inflammation 5.

Sources cited
1
TRIM38 is an E3 ubiquitin/SUMO ligase that regulates innate immunity and negatively regulates TLR3/4 signaling while positively regulating cGAS-STING pathway
PMID: 28194022
2
TRIM38 restricts Zika virus by upregulating RIG-I/MDA5 pathway and degrading viral NS3 protein
PMID: 40006954
3
TRIM38 functions as tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer by ubiquitinating CCT6A and inhibiting MYC pathway
PMID: 40047371
4
TRIM38 suppresses breast cancer by promoting K63-linked ubiquitination of SQSTM1/p62 and disrupting autophagy
PMID: 41347593
5
TRIM38 regulates macrophage polarization by stabilizing HSPA5 through K63-dependent ubiquitination
PMID: 40300357
Disease Associationsⓘ20
non-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
bladder transitional cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cardiac hypertrophyOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Immunodeficiency due to a late component of complements deficiencyOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
isolated agammaglobulinemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Autosomal recessive hyper-IgE syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Autosomal recessive hyper-IgE syndrome due to TYK2 deficiencyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
immunodeficiency 35Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
myocardial infarctionOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
X-linked agammaglobulinemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hyper-IgM syndrome type 2Open Targets
0.04Suggestive
immunodeficiency, common variable, 4Open Targets
0.04Suggestive
recurrent Neisseria infections due to factor D deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
mannose-binding lectin deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
common variable immunodeficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
immunodeficiency 33Open Targets
0.04Suggestive
Immunodeficiency due to interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
type II complement component 8 deficiencyOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
TAB2Protein interaction77%TRIM56Protein interaction75%TRIM62Shared pathway33%RFPL4AL1Shared pathway33%TRIM43BShared pathway33%TRIM64CShared pathway33%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Bone Marrow
50%
Ovary
37%
Liver
36%
Heart
19%
Brain
6%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TRIM38TAB2TRIM56TRIM62RFPL4AL1TRIM43BTRIM64C
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O00635
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.20LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.90 [0.68–1.20]
RankingsWhere TRIM38 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #8,511of 20,598
    Most Researched53
  • #12,573of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.20
Genes detectedTRIM38
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
TRIM38 Suppresses the Progression of Colorectal Cancer via Enhancing CCT6A Ubiquitination to Inhibit the MYC Pathway.
PMID: 40047371
Adv Sci (Weinh) · 2025
1.00
2
Integrative RNA profiling of TBEV-infected neurons and astrocytes reveals potential pathogenic effectors.
PMID: 35685361
Comput Struct Biotechnol J · 2022
0.90
3
TRIM38 Inhibits Zika Virus by Upregulating RIG-I/MDA5 Pathway and Promoting Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation of Viral NS3 Protein.
PMID: 40006954
Viruses · 2025
0.80
4
PPAR
PMID: 39664413
Acta Pharm Sin B · 2024
0.70
5
TRIM38 Suppresses Breast Cancer Progression via Modulating SQSTM1 Ubiquitination and Autophagic Flux.
PMID: 41347593
Adv Sci (Weinh) · 2026
0.60