Clusterin-like protein 1 (CLUL1)

Clusterin-like protein 1 (CLUL1) is a retina-specific, secreted glycoprotein with homology to the molecular chaperone clusterin, though sharing only ~25% sequence identity. Unlike clusterin, which has broad tissue expression, CLUL1 expression is tentative to cone photoreceptor cells in the retina and is highly regulated during retinal development and photoreceptor differentiation. It undergoes light-dependent subcellular localization in cone cells and is predicted to bind misfolded proteins and function as an extracellular chaperone, supporting photoreceptor cell homeostasis and survival. Genetic studies have associated CLUL1 with retinal diseases—variants may influence susceptibility or protection against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), though clearly pathogenic or drug-responsive mutations in humans are not established. Its relevance to retinal disorders is further supported by altered expression in naturally occurring and experimental animal models of retinal degeneration. Peptides derived from CLUL1 have been proposed as potential biomarkers for diagnosing retinal and possibly systemic disease states, but these applications remain under investigation. CLUL1 is not a classic drug target, and no current therapeutics directly modulate its function. Its main significance lies in its putative role as a retinal photoreceptor chaperone and as a gene of interest in genetic association studies of retinal diseases.

Other names

Clusterin-like 1CLUL1Clusterin-like protein 1Retinal-specific clusterin-like proteinRetinal clusterin-like proteinRA337M