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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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TSPAN18
tetraspanin 18
Chromosome 11 · 11p11.2
NCBI Gene: 90139Ensembl: ENSG00000157570.13HGNC: HGNC:20660UniProt: Q96SJ8
24PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
inflammatory responsecalcium-ion regulated exocytosiscalcium-mediated signalingprotein localization to cell peripheryautoimmune thyroid diseaseopen-angle glaucomaulcerative colitisschizophrenia
✦AI Summary

TSPAN18 (tetraspanin 18) is a transmembrane protein that functions as a critical regulator of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and inflammatory signaling. Its primary role involves facilitating cell surface localization of the calcium channel ORAI1 12. In endothelial cells, TSPAN18 interacts directly with ORAI1, and TSPAN18 knockdown reduces ORAI1 surface localization by 70%, impairing calcium mobilization upon inflammatory stimulation 1. This interaction enables von Willebrand factor (VWF) release in response to thrombin or histamine, with TSPAN18 knockdown reducing histamine-induced VWF release by 90% 1. Beyond endothelial function, TSPAN18 enhances bone metastasis in prostate cancer by protecting STIM1 (another SOCE component) from TRIM32-mediated ubiquitination, thereby stabilizing STIM1 protein and promoting calcium-dependent cell migration and invasion 3. Clinically, TSPAN18 overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in prostate cancer bone metastasis 3. Regarding psychiatric disease, while initial GWAS identified TSPAN18 variants as schizophrenia susceptibility loci in East Asian populations 45, subsequent replication studies in Han Chinese failed to confirm associations for most SNPs 67, suggesting population-specific effects. These findings position TSPAN18 as a therapeutic target for thrombo-inflammatory and metastatic diseases.

Sources cited
1
TSPAN18 interacts with ORAI1, promotes its cell surface localization, and regulates calcium mobilization and VWF release in endothelial cells
PMID: 30573509
2
TSPAN18 is a novel regulator of thrombo-inflammation through ORAI1 partnership, protecting mice in ischemia-reperfusion and DVT models
PMID: 32447449
3
TSPAN18 protects STIM1 from TRIM32-mediated ubiquitination, enhancing prostate cancer bone metastasis and correlating with poor prognosis
PMID: 37542345
4
TSPAN18 rs835784 'A' allele is significantly associated with increased schizophrenia risk in Han Chinese population
PMID: 23505562
5
TSPAN18 gene polymorphisms show no significant association with schizophrenia in Han Chinese based on meta-analysis
PMID: 26016498
6
TSPAN18 rs11038167 polymorphism fails to show significant association with schizophrenia in southern Chinese populations
PMID: 27460766
7
TSPAN18 schizophrenia risk SNPs show deep population divergence between Europeans and East Asians, with evidence of recent positive selection in East Asians
PMID: 27312590
Disease Associationsⓘ20
autoimmune thyroid diseaseOpen Targets
0.38Weak
open-angle glaucomaOpen Targets
0.35Weak
ulcerative colitisOpen Targets
0.31Weak
schizophreniaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
glaucomaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
hypertrophic cardiomyopathyOpen Targets
0.28Weak
gram-negative bacterial infectionsOpen Targets
0.27Weak
benign chondrogenic neoplasmOpen Targets
0.26Weak
cardiomyopathyOpen Targets
0.25Weak
HirsutismOpen Targets
0.25Weak
primary thrombocytopeniaOpen Targets
0.25Weak
bronchiectasisOpen Targets
0.18Weak
temporomandibular joint disorderOpen Targets
0.18Weak
placental retentionOpen Targets
0.16Weak
lacrimal apparatus diseaseOpen Targets
0.10Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
MODYOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ADAM10Protein interaction77%SARAFShared pathway20%RCAN2Shared pathway20%CCRL2Shared pathway20%NKAPLCo-mentioned in literature20%PLA2G4BShared pathway18%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Lung
17%
Ovary
8%
Liver
3%
Brain
3%
Bone Marrow
3%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TSPAN18ADAM10SARAFRCAN2CCRL2NKAPLPLA2G4B
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q96SJ8
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.78LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.02Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.50 [0.33–0.78]
RankingsWhere TSPAN18 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #13,340of 20,598
    Most Researched24
  • #6,402of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.78
Genes detectedTSPAN18
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
TSPAN18 facilitates bone metastasis of prostate cancer by protecting STIM1 from TRIM32-mediated ubiquitination.
PMID: 37542345
J Exp Clin Cancer Res · 2023
1.00
2
Lack of Association between the TSPAN18 Gene and Schizophrenia Based on New Data from Han Chinese and a Meta-Analysis.
PMID: 26016498
Int J Mol Sci · 2015
0.90
3
Association of NKAPL, TSPAN18, and MPC2 gene variants with schizophrenia based on new data and a meta-analysis in Han Chinese.
PMID: 27460766
Acta Neuropsychiatr · 2017
0.80
4
Tspan18 is a novel regulator of thrombo-inflammation.
PMID: 32447449
Med Microbiol Immunol · 2020
0.70
5
Tspan18 is a novel regulator of the Ca
PMID: 30573509
Haematologica · 2019
0.60