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Protein / target

Calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1

Encoded byORAI1Q96D31Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
High-Quality Ligand
1
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Store-operated calcium channel

Strongest disease association

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Via encoding gene ORAI1 · Genetic literature evidence · score 0.76

Research activity

Emerging research

1 papers · latest 2024

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 overview

Pore-forming subunit of two major inward rectifying Ca(2+) channels at the plasma membrane: Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels and arachidonate-regulated Ca(2+)-selective (ARC) channels (Probable).

View complete UniProt function annotation

Pore-forming subunit of two major inward rectifying Ca(2+) channels at the plasma membrane: Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels and arachidonate-regulated Ca(2+)-selective (ARC) channels (Probable) (PubMed:16645049, PubMed:16733527, PubMed:16807233, PubMed:16921383, PubMed:19249086, PubMed:19706554, PubMed:23307288, PubMed:26956484, PubMed:28219928). Assembles with ORAI2 and ORAI3 to form hexameric CRAC channels that mediate Ca(2+) influx upon depletion of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) store and channel activation by Ca(2+) sensor STIM1, a process known as store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE). Various pore subunit combinations may account for distinct CRAC channel spatiotemporal and cell-type specific dynamics. ORAI1 mainly contributes to the generation of Ca(2+) plateaus involved in sustained Ca(2+) entry and is dispensable for cytosolic Ca(2+) oscillations, whereas ORAI2 and ORAI3 generate oscillatory patterns. CRAC channels assemble in Ca(2+) signaling microdomains where Ca(2+) influx is coupled to calmodulin and calcineurin signaling and activation of NFAT transcription factors recruited to ORAI1 via AKAP5. Activates NFATC2/NFAT1 and NFATC3/NFAT4-mediated transcriptional responses. CRAC channels are the main pathway for Ca(2+) influx in T cells and promote the immune response to pathogens by activating NFAT-dependent cytokine and chemokine transcription (PubMed:16582901, PubMed:17442569, PubMed:19182790, PubMed:20354224, PubMed:22641696, PubMed:26221052, PubMed:32415068, PubMed:33941685). Assembles with ORAI3 to form channels that mediate store-independent Ca(2+) influx in response to inflammatory metabolites arachidonate or its derivative leukotriene C4, termed ARC and LRC channels respectively (PubMed:19622606, PubMed:32415068). Plays a prominent role in Ca(2+) influx at the basolateral membrane of mammary epithelial cells independently of the Ca(2+) content of endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi stores. May mediate transepithelial transport of large quantities of Ca(2+) for milk secretion (By similarity) (PubMed:20887894)

Subcellular location

Cell membraneBasolateral cell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (20)

Gene Ontology

  • Cbasolateral plasma membrane
  • Ccalcium channel complex
  • Ccell periphery
  • Cmembrane
  • Cmembrane raft
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cplasma membrane raft
  • Fcalcium channel activity
  • Fcalmodulin binding
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • Fstore-operated calcium channel activity
  • Padaptive immune response

301 aa · 33 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

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

Ion channel gatingGOImmune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Ion channel gating

  • ·calcium ion transmembrane transport

Immune signalling

  • ·Pore-forming subunit of two major inward rectifying Ca(2+) channels at the plasma membra…
  • ·adaptive immune response

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

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene ORAI1

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene ORAI1that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
0.62Moderately supported

Genetic literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.47

T-B- severe combined immunodeficiency
0.61Moderately supported

Genetic literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46

View evidence synthesis (2)
Severe Combined ImmunodeficiencyModerately supported
0.62
agreement 0.460.77
Genetic literature97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.47 · 2 independent evidence families

T-B- severe combined immunodeficiencyModerately supported
0.61
agreement 0.450.76
Genetic literature100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 1 independent evidence family

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 per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency0.47
T-B- severe combined immunodeficiency0.46

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (high-quality ligand) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot loc high conf and uniprot loc med conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (9)
SM · High-Quality LigandAB · UniProt loc high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMAB · GO CC med confPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

1 papers · to 2024

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Dittmer PJ · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024

Recent

L-type Ca<sup>2+</sup> channel activation of STIM1-Orai1 signaling remodels the dendritic spine ER to maintain long-term structural plasticity.

Dittmer PJ · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.