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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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UNC5C
unc-5 netrin receptor C
Chromosome 4 · 4q22.3
NCBI Gene: 8633Ensembl: ENSG00000182168.16HGNC: HGNC:12569UniProt: A8K385
64PubMed Papers
21Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Receptor
CLINICAL
OMIM Disease Gene
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
plasma membraneprotein bindingdorsal root ganglion developmenttubulin bindingtype 2 diabetes mellitusdiabetes mellitushypertensionangina pectoris
✦AI Summary

UNC5C encodes a transmembrane netrin receptor that plays crucial roles in axon guidance and apoptosis regulation. As a netrin-1 receptor, UNC5C mediates axon repulsion by binding to netrin-1, which causes dissociation from polymerized tubulin (TUBB3) in microtubules, leading to increased microtubule dynamics and subsequent axon repulsion 1. The protein is involved in dorsal root ganglion axon projection toward the spinal cord and functions as part of guidance receptor complexes, including interactions with GPC3 that regulate cell migration in neural development 2. UNC5C also acts as a dependence receptor, inducing apoptosis when not bound to netrin ligands. In cancer, UNC5C frequently functions as a tumor suppressor that is silenced through promoter hypermethylation. Loss of UNC5C expression occurs in 94.3% of renal cell carcinomas 3, 78% of colorectal cancers 4, and 25% of gastric cancers 5. Restoration of UNC5C expression suppresses colony formation, inhibits tumor cell proliferation and migration, and enhances chemosensitivity 3. The gene shows evidence of positive evolutionary selection and has been associated with polycystic ovary syndrome subtypes 67. Located on chromosome 4-q23, UNC5C represents an important therapeutic target in multiple cancer types 8.

Sources cited
1
UNC5C mediates axon repulsion through netrin-1 binding and microtubule dynamics regulation
PMID: 28483977
2
UNC5C forms complexes with GPC3 to regulate cell migration in neural development
PMID: 36240740
3
UNC5C acts as tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma, lost in 94.3% of cases, and restoration suppresses cancer cell functions
PMID: 21600761
4
UNC5C is silenced by methylation in 78% of colorectal cancers and correlates with patient prognosis
PMID: 28378635
5
UNC5C methylation occurs in 25% of gastric cancers and correlates with TNM stage
PMID: 20032384
6
UNC5C shows evidence of positive evolutionary selection
PMID: 37982420
7
UNC5C is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome subtypes
PMID: 32574161
8
UNC5C is located on chromosome 4q21-q23
PMID: 9782087
Disease Associationsⓘ21
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.44Moderate
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.42Moderate
angina pectorisOpen Targets
0.40Weak
Myocardial IschemiaOpen Targets
0.38Weak
bilirubin metabolism diseaseOpen Targets
0.33Weak
Increased blood pressureOpen Targets
0.33Weak
diabetic ketoacidosisOpen Targets
0.32Weak
metabolic syndromeOpen Targets
0.32Weak
HypocalcemiaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
appendicitisOpen Targets
0.31Weak
ovarian dysfunctionOpen Targets
0.30Weak
placental retentionOpen Targets
0.30Weak
coronary artery diseaseOpen Targets
0.29Weak
device complicationOpen Targets
0.29Weak
fracture of pelvisOpen Targets
0.28Weak
placenta praeviaOpen Targets
0.28Weak
cardiovascular diseaseOpen Targets
0.27Weak
Abruptio PlacentaeOpen Targets
0.26Weak
complex regional pain syndromeOpen Targets
0.24Weak
Alzheimer diseaseUniProt
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
DCCProtein interaction100%NEO1Protein interaction100%SLIT3Protein interaction100%NTN1Protein interaction100%PTPN11Protein interaction100%ADGRL3Protein interaction91%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Brain
100%
Ovary
63%
Lung
35%
Liver
18%
Bone Marrow
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
UNC5CDCCNEO1SLIT3NTN1PTPN11ADGRL3
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O95185
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.65LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.50 [0.39–0.65]
RankingsWhere UNC5C stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #7,328of 20,598
    Most Researched64
  • #4,654of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.65
Genes detectedUNC5C
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
GPC3-Unc5 receptor complex structure and role in cell migration.
PMID: 36240740
Cell · 2022
1.00
2
Distinct subtypes of polycystic ovary syndrome with novel genetic associations: An unsupervised, phenotypic clustering analysis.
PMID: 32574161
PLoS Med · 2020
0.90
3
Methylation of the UNC5C gene and its protein expression in colorectal cancer.
PMID: 28378635
Tumour Biol · 2017
0.80
4
Evidence of positive selection of genetic variants associated with PCOS.
PMID: 37982420
Hum Reprod · 2023
0.70
5
Cloning and mapping of the UNC5C gene to human chromosome 4q21-q23.
PMID: 9782087
Genomics · 1998
0.60