Radial spoke head 14 homolog (RSPH14)

Radial spoke head 14 homolog (RSPH14) is a protein encoded by the RSPH14 gene in humans. It is found as part of the axonemal radial spoke complex, contributing to the motility of cilia and sperm flagella. The function in humans is not completely characterized, but the protein shares some sequence similarity with a yeast vacuolar protein. The gene is located in a region often deleted in pediatric rhabdoid tumors, but mutations in RSPH14 have not been directly implicated in these diseases. Recent studies have linked overexpression of RSPH14 to poor prognosis and aggressive biology in hepatocellular carcinoma, affecting tumor proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis through modulation of signaling pathways such as NF-κB (specifically the RelA/p65 subunit). As such, RSPH14 is being investigated as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in liver cancer, though its broader biological and pathological roles remain incompletely understood.

Other names

RTDR1Rhabdoid tumor deletion region protein 1Rhabdoid tumor deletion region gene 1RSP14_HUMANENSG00000100218 (Ensembl)Q9UHP6 (UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot)

Not established; initial cancer research indicates that gene knockdown of RSPH14 reduces cell proliferation and migration by inhibiting expression of RelA (NF-κB p65), but no drugs currently target it