Protein / target

ADP-ribosyl cyclase/cyclic ADP-ribose hydrolase 1

CD38P28907Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
2
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand

Protein at a glance

Biological role

NAD+ nucleosidase activity, cyclic ADP-ribose generating

Primary system

Immune system

Strongest disease association

Parkinson disease

Genetic evidence · score 0.72

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

2 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Structure with Ligand

Clinical development

2 approved · 2 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Multifunctional transmembrane glycoprotein able to exert enzymatic activities and also to mobilize calcium, to transduce signals, to adhere to hyaluronan and to other ligands. Synthesizes cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), a second messenger for glucose-induced insulin secretion (PubMed:7961800, PubMed:8253715). Synthesizes the Ca(2+) mobilizer nicotinate-adenine dinucleotide phosphate, NAADP(+), from 2'-phospho-cADPR and nicotinic acid, as well as from NADP(+) and nicotinic acid. At both pH 5.0 and pH 7.4 preferentially transforms 2'-phospho-cADPR into NAADP(+), while preferentially cleaving NADP(+) to cADPR and ADPRP rather than into NADDP(+) (PubMed:16690024). Has cADPR hydrolase activity (PubMed:7961800, PubMed:8253715). Functions also as a receptor that binds the ligand CD31 on endothelial cells, promoting lymphocyte activation, proliferation, and migration across the endothelial barrier (PubMed:9551996). Involved in the regulation of crucial dendritic cell functions acquired at the mature stage, such as CCL21-driven migration, survival, and Th1-polarizing activity (PubMed:16293598). In lamina propria T lymphocytes, CD38/CD31 cognate interactions initiate a multistep signaling pathway resulting in activation of LCK anf LAT, followed by cytokine release (PubMed:11259373)

Subcellular location

Cell surfaceCell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (36)

Gene Ontology

  • Cbasolateral plasma membrane
  • Ccell surface
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cmembrane
  • Cnuclear membrane
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • FNAD+ nucleosidase activity, cyclic ADP-ribose generating
  • Fphosphorus-oxygen lyase activity
  • Fsignaling receptor activity
  • Ftransferase activity
  • Papoptotic signaling pathway

300 aa · 34 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Immune signallingUniProt · GOMetabolic enzyme activityGOTranscriptional regulationGOApoptosis & cell deathGOMuscle contractionGO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·Multifunctional transmembrane glycoprotein able to exert enzymatic activities and also t…
  • ·B cell receptor signaling pathway
  • ·positive regulation of B cell proliferation
  • ·response to interleukin-1

Metabolic enzyme activity

  • ·transferase activity
  • ·nicotinate metabolic process

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription
  • ·positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription

Apoptosis & cell death

  • ·negative regulation of apoptotic process

Muscle contraction

  • ·artery smooth muscle contraction
View underlying pathways (1)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

PECAM1CD34NAMPTNMNAT1CD19SIRT1NMNAT2SIRT3CD4ENPP1CD38

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

1

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

daratumumab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Lymphocyte differentiation antigen CD38 inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving plasma cell myeloma, neoplasm, smoldering plasma cell myeloma, smoldering plasma cell myeloma

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

Parkinson disease0.72

Genetic · overall 0.46

self-injurious ideation0.47

Genetic · overall 0.29

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

plasma cell myeloma0.98

Clinical · overall 0.63

neoplasm0.76

Clinical · overall 0.49

smoldering plasma cell myeloma0.60

Clinical · overall 0.36

autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura0.57

Clinical · overall 0.35

AL amyloidosis0.49

Clinical · overall 0.32

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

leukemia0.28

Literature

acute leukemia0.26

Clinical

autoimmune encephalitis0.26

Clinical

Show all associations
plasma cell myeloma0.63
neoplasm0.49
Parkinson disease0.46
smoldering plasma cell myeloma0.36
autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura0.35
AL amyloidosis0.32
self-injurious ideation0.29
leukemia0.28
acute leukemia0.26
autoimmune encephalitis0.26

Open Targets ranks 1,023 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 4 total

ISATUXIMABApproval

plasma cell myeloma · neoplasm · plasma cell myeloma

FELZARTAMABPhase 3

plasma cell myeloma · Proteinuria · kidney disorder

DARATUMUMABApproval

plasma cell myeloma · neoplasm · smoldering plasma cell myeloma

MEZAGITAMABPhase 3

autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura · myasthenia gravis · autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura

Tractability

SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketAB · Approved DrugAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Safety liabilities

regulation of gene expression

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

COMPLETED · via daratumumab · NCT02841033

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Related literature

3

Papers indexed under “ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1” — a subject heading that covers this protein without being specific to it. Shown as context; not counted as this protein's own research activity.

Europe PMC literature, reached through a MeSH descriptor linked to this protein.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

plasma cell myelomaWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.620.93
Clinical84%Literature16%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 2 independent evidence families

Parkinson diseaseWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.610.89
Genetic87%Literature14%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 2 independent evidence families

neoplasmModerately supported
0.63
agreement 0.480.79
Clinical79%Literature21%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 2 independent evidence families

self-injurious ideationLimited support
0.47
agreement 0.350.59
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.29 · 1 independent evidence family

smoldering plasma cell myelomaLimited support
0.45
agreement 0.290.60
Clinical99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.36 · 2 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

8

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through a drug that targets this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. Industry development2026-06-12
    EHA: J&J sharpens myeloma edge as Talvey, Darzalex Faspro combo proves its worth in earlier disease stage

    Fierce Pharma · news · via daratumumab

  2. New publication2024-06-15
    Bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone with or without daratumumab and followed by daratumumab maintenance or observation in transplant-eligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: long-term follow-up of the CASSIOPEIA randomised controlled phase 3 trial.

    The Lancet. Oncology · 2024 · 90 citations · Europe PMC · via daratumumab

  3. New publication2021-09-13
    Maintenance with daratumumab or observation following treatment with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone with or without daratumumab and autologous stem-cell transplant in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (CASSIOPEIA): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial.

    The Lancet. Oncology · 2021 · 143 citations · Europe PMC · via daratumumab

  4. New publication2021-02-15
    Daratumumab monotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type: an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase 2 study.

    Journal of hematology & oncology · 2021 · 55 citations · Europe PMC · via daratumumab

  5. Safety communication2019-08-19

    Drug Safety Update: Daratumumab (Darzalex▼): risk of reactivation of hepatitis B virus

    mhra · safety · mhra · via daratumumab

  6. New publication2019-06-03
    Bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone with or without daratumumab before and after autologous stem-cell transplantation for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (CASSIOPEIA): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study.

    Lancet (London, England) · 2019 · 725 citations · Europe PMC · via daratumumab

  7. New publication2018-08-10
    Targeting B Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) in Multiple Myeloma: Potential Uses of BCMA-Based Immunotherapy.

    Frontiers in immunology · 2018 · 218 citations · Europe PMC · via daratumumab

  8. Accelerated approval granted2016-05-20

    Accelerated approval: Darzalex (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via daratumumab

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.