Details for: KPLCE

Gene ID: 100129271

Gene Type:  Protein-coding  - A gene that serves as a template for producing a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule, which is then translated into a functional protein.

Symbol: KPLCE

Ensembl ID: ENSG00000198854

Description: KPRP N-terminal and LCE C-terminal like protein

Selected Context(s):  Overall

Cell Significance Landscape

Contexts:

Associated with

Significant Cells

Cell Significance Index (CSI) scores for the chosen context(s)

  • CD8-positive, alpha-beta memory T cell, CD45RO-positive CL0001203
    CSI 11.37
    rCSI 13.77%
    PRS 99.91
  • helper T cell CL0000912
    CSI 4.48
    rCSI 6.34%
    PRS 99.98
  • cytotoxic T cell CL0000910
    CSI 3.44
    rCSI 19.72%
    PRS 99.98

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this specific cell.

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this cell type. Calculated using techniques like effect size estimation and bootstrapping for reliability.

Cell ID: Standard Cell Ontology term used for mapping and comparing cells across experiments. Ensures consistency in analyzing cellular functions across tissues.
Fold Change: Represents the ratio of the current Cell Significance Index to the Cell Significance Index Threshold, indicating how much the gene expression has changed compared to a baseline.
Cell Significance Index: Reflects how strongly a gene is expressed in this cell type. Calculated using techniques like effect size estimation and bootstrapping for reliability.
Network Configuration

Explore relationships of the current gene. Select an Interaction Source: 'ONTOLOGY' for shared pathways (GO/Reactome) or 'STRING' for protein-protein interactions. Further refine by selecting context genes and comparing Cell Significance Index (CSI) scores between baseline and target cell types and their specific contexts.

Comma-separated if multiple.
Comma-separated if multiple.
Legend:
  • Query Gene
  • Node Color (Target Cell CSI, relative to current network):
    • Very High
    • High
    • Medium
    • Low
    • Very Low
    • CSI N/A
  • Node Size: Proportional to Target Cell CSI magnitude
  • STRING PPI Edge
  • Shared Pathway Edge (ONTOLOGY)

Loading network (please wait)...

Other Information

This section provides additional information about the gene, including a description generated by an AI language model and details about associated proteins.

## Summary [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) (KPRP N-terminal and LCE C-terminal like protein) is a protein-coding gene located on human chromosome 1 within the epidermal differentiation complex, a region known for containing genes critical for skin development ([Link](https://doi.org/10.1006/geno.1997.4952)). Consistent with its genomic location, its primary annotated function is related to [epidermis development](/details-cell/GO0008544). However, expression data reveals a potentially novel role, showing its most significant expression not in epidermal cells but in specific subsets of T lymphocytes, particularly memory T cells. This suggests that [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) may have a previously uncharacterized function within the adaptive immune system, possibly linking skin biology and T cell-mediated immunity. ## Cellular Roles and Expression Landscape The established biological context for [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) is rooted in epithelial biology. Its location in the epidermal differentiation complex and its name, which references keratinocyte and late cornified envelope proteins, strongly associate it with the formation and maintenance of the skin barrier ([Link](https://doi.org/10.1006/geno.1997.4952); [Link](https://doi.org/10.1369/0022155414562646)). In striking contrast, analysis of a broad cellular landscape in an **Overall** context indicates that the highest significance of [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) expression is found within the T cell lineage. The gene is a particularly strong marker for [CD8-positive, alpha-beta memory T cell, CD45RO-positive](/details-cell/CL0001203) (CSI: 11.37). It also shows significant expression in other key lymphocyte populations, including [helper T cell](/details-cell/CL0000912) (CSI: 4.48) and [cytotoxic T cell](/details-cell/CL0000910) (CSI: 3.44). This unexpected expression pattern suggests that [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) may play a role in T cell function, such as memory formation, maintenance, or effector activity, representing a significant deviation from its predicted role based on genomic context alone. ## Pathways and Molecular Function The current functional annotation for [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) is limited. Gene Ontology analysis connects it to the biological process of [epidermis development](/details-cell/GO0008544). Its molecular function is broadly categorized under [Molecular_function](/details-cell/GO0003674), without further specification. Notably, the high expression and significance of [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) in T cell subsets are not explained by its current annotations. This highlights a critical knowledge gap and suggests that the gene's role in molecular pathways related to T cell activation, differentiation, or survival remains to be elucidated. The discordance between its established annotation and observed expression pattern indicates that its molecular activities may be highly context-dependent, with distinct functions in epithelial and immune cells. ## Research Directions The most compelling area for future research on [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) lies in resolving the discrepancy between its genomic association with skin and its observed high expression in T cells. This opens up several avenues for investigation. **Proposed Hypotheses:** 1. **Dual Functionality:** [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) may be a moonlighting protein with distinct functions in different cellular contexts: a structural or developmental role in keratinocytes, as suggested by its genomic locus, and a separate, uncharacterized role in T cell biology, potentially related to the establishment or maintenance of the memory T cell pool. 2. **Immune-Epithelial Crosstalk:** The expression of [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) in T cells may be specifically relevant to skin-resident lymphocytes. The gene could be involved in T cell homing to the skin, retention within the epidermal layer, or in mediating direct interactions with keratinocytes during cutaneous immune surveillance or inflammatory skin diseases. **Suggested Experimental Approach:** To test the hypothesis that [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) mediates immune-epithelial crosstalk in the skin, a multi-step approach could be employed. First, single-cell RNA sequencing of human skin biopsies from healthy donors and patients with inflammatory conditions (e.g., psoriasis) would be used to confirm its expression in skin-resident T cell populations and determine if its expression is modulated by disease. Second, a functional in vitro study could be performed using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) in primary human T cells. The behavior of these knockout T cells could then be assessed in a co-culture system with primary human keratinocytes, measuring outcomes such as T cell adhesion, migration, and cytokine production to determine the gene's role in T cell-keratinocyte interactions. **Therapeutic Potential:** The therapeutic potential of [KPLCE](/details-gene/100129271) is highly speculative at present. If further research demonstrates a pro-inflammatory role in skin-resident T cells, it could represent a novel target for treating inflammatory skin diseases. Its potentially restricted expression to specific T cell subsets could make it an attractive candidate for developing targeted therapies (e.g., monoclonal antibodies) that aim to **inhibit** its function, potentially offering greater specificity and fewer side effects than broad-acting immunosuppressants. However, a thorough understanding of its fundamental function in both the immune and epithelial compartments is a prerequisite for any therapeutic development.

Genular Protein ID: 460636679

Symbol: KPLCE_HUMAN

Name: N/A

UniProtKB Accession Codes:

Q5T750 O14634

Database IDs:

AGR 1 AlphaFoldDB 1 Antibodypedia 1 Bgee 1 BioGRID 1 BioGRID-ORCS 1 BioMuta 1 CCDS 1 CTD 1 DMDM 1 DNASU 1 DisGeNET 1 EMBL 3 Ensembl 1 GO 1 GeneCards 1 GeneTree 1 GenomeRNAi 1 GlyGen 1 HGNC 1 HOGENOM 1 HPA 1 InParanoid 1 IntAct 1 InterPro 1 KEGG 1 MANE-Select 1 MINT 1 MassIVE 1 NCBI Taxonomy 1 OMA 1 OpenTargets 1 OrthoDB 1 PANTHER 2 PRINTS 1 PRO 1 PathwayCommons 1 PaxDb 1 PeptideAtlas 1 PharmGKB 1 Pharos 1 PhosphoSitePlus 1 PhylomeDB 1 Proteomes 1 ProteomicsDB 1 RNAct 1 RefSeq 1 STRING 1 SignaLink 1 TreeFam 1 UCSC 1 VEuPathDB 1 eggNOG 1 iPTMnet 1 neXtProt 1

Citations:

PubMed ID: 16710414

Title: The DNA sequence and biological annotation of human chromosome 1.

PubMed ID: 16710414

DOI: 10.1038/nature04727

PubMed ID: 9344646

Title: Positional cloning of novel skin-specific genes from the human epidermal differentiation complex.

PubMed ID: 9344646

DOI: 10.1006/geno.1997.4952

PubMed ID: 21269460

Title: Initial characterization of the human central proteome.

PubMed ID: 21269460

DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-5-17

PubMed ID: 25411189

Title: Expression of human skin-specific genes defined by transcriptomics and antibody-based profiling.

PubMed ID: 25411189

DOI: 10.1369/0022155414562646

Sequence Information:

  • Length: 250
  • Mass: 26238
  • Checksum: 098B586CCE67D6E3
  • Sequence:
    • MCDQQKQPQF PPSCVKGSGL GAGQGSNGAS VKCPVPCQTQ TVCVTGPAPC PTQTYVKYQV 
PCQTQTYVKC PAPCQRTYVK YPTPCQTYVK CPAPCQTTYV KCPTPCQTYV KCPAPCQMTY 
IKSPAPCQTQ TCYVQGASPC QSYYVQAPAS GSTSQYCVTD PCSAPCSTSY CCLAPRTFGV 
SPLRRWIQRP QNCNTGSSGC CENSGSSGCC GSGGCGCSCG CGSSGCCCLG IIPMRSRGPA 
CCDHEDDCCC