Protein / target

Chitinase-3-like protein 1

Encoded byCHI3L1P36222Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot

UniProt: P36222 Ensembl: ENSG00000133048 HGNC: HGNC:1932 NCBI Gene: 1116

Small-molecule tractable

Druggability

Structure with Ligand

Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Extracellular matrix structural constituent

Strongest disease association

Schizophrenia

Via encoding gene CHI3L1 · Genetic literature evidence · score 0.61

Research activity

Emerging research

3 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

Carbohydrate-binding lectin with a preference for chitin.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Carbohydrate-binding lectin with a preference for chitin. Has no chitinase activity. May play a role in tissue remodeling and in the capacity of cells to respond to and cope with changes in their environment. Plays a role in T-helper cell type 2 (Th2) inflammatory response and IL-13-induced inflammation, regulating allergen sensitization, inflammatory cell apoptosis, dendritic cell accumulation and M2 macrophage differentiation. Facilitates invasion of pathogenic enteric bacteria into colonic mucosa and lymphoid organs. Mediates activation of AKT1 signaling pathway and subsequent IL8 production in colonic epithelial cells. Regulates antibacterial responses in lung by contributing to macrophage bacterial killing, controlling bacterial dissemination and augmenting host tolerance. Also regulates hyperoxia-induced injury, inflammation and epithelial apoptosis in lung

Subcellular location

Secreted, extracellular spaceCytoplasmCytoplasm, perinuclear regionEndoplasmic reticulum

Domains and Gene Ontology detail (29)

Domains & features

GH18

Gene Ontology

Ccytoplasm
Cendoplasmic reticulum
Cextracellular exosome
Cextracellular matrix
Cextracellular region
Cextracellular space
Cperinuclear region of cytoplasm
Cspecific granule lumen
Fcarbohydrate binding
Fchitin binding
Fextracellular matrix structural constituent
Papoptotic process

383 aa · 43 kDa

Biological roles

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

Immune signallingUniProt · GOCell adhesionGO

View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

·Carbohydrate-binding lectin with a preference for chitin. Has no chitinase activity. May…
·inflammatory response
·positive regulation of interleukin-8 production
·response to interleukin-1

Cell adhesion

·extracellular matrix
·extracellular matrix structural constituent

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 CHI3L1

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene CHI3L1that 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.

Schizophrenia

0.51Moderately supported

Genetic literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.40

Asthma

0.45Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.28

Childhood onset asthma

0.28Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.17

Lower respiratory tract disorder

0.24Preliminary

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.14

Central Nervous System Neoplasms

0.22Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.13 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)

SchizophreniaModerately supported

0.51

agreement 0.36–0.67

Genetic literature90%Literature10%Geneticdup

Open Targets aggregate 0.40 · 2 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

AsthmaLimited support

0.45

agreement 0.31–0.59

Genetic71%Literature29%

Open Targets aggregate 0.28 · 2 independent evidence families

Childhood onset asthmaLimited support

0.28

agreement 0.14–0.42

Genetic99%Literature2%

Open Targets aggregate 0.17 · 2 independent evidence families

Lower respiratory tract disorderPreliminary

0.24

agreement 0.12–0.36

Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.14 · 1 independent evidence family

Central Nervous System NeoplasmsPreliminary

0.22

agreement 0.03–0.41

Literature61%RNA expression39%

Open Targets aggregate 0.13 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

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

Schizophrenia0.40

Asthma0.28

Childhood onset asthma0.17

Lower respiratory tract disorder0.14

Central Nervous System Neoplasms0.13

Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive0.12

Glioblastoma0.12

Alzheimer's Disease0.12

Neoplasms0.12

Lung carcinoma0.12

Tractability