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Protein / target

Tyrosine-protein kinase ABL1

Encoded byABL1P00519Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
15
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase

Strongest disease association

chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive

Via encoding gene ABL1 · Genetic evidence · score 0.86

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules

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

Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to cell growth and survival such as cytoskeleton remodeling in response to extracellular stimuli, cell motility and adhesion, receptor endocytosis, autophagy, DNA damage response and apoptosis.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to cell growth and survival such as cytoskeleton remodeling in response to extracellular stimuli, cell motility and adhesion, receptor endocytosis, autophagy, DNA damage response and apoptosis. Coordinates actin remodeling through tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins controlling cytoskeleton dynamics like WASF3 (involved in branch formation); ANXA1 (involved in membrane anchoring); DBN1, DBNL, CTTN, RAPH1 and ENAH (involved in signaling); or MAPT and PXN (microtubule-binding proteins). Phosphorylation of WASF3 is critical for the stimulation of lamellipodia formation and cell migration. Involved in the regulation of cell adhesion and motility through phosphorylation of key regulators of these processes such as BCAR1, CRK, CRKL, DOK1, EFS or NEDD9 (PubMed:22810897). Phosphorylates multiple receptor tyrosine kinases and more particularly promotes endocytosis of EGFR, facilitates the formation of neuromuscular synapses through MUSK, inhibits PDGFRB-mediated chemotaxis and modulates the endocytosis of activated B-cell receptor complexes. Other substrates which are involved in endocytosis regulation are the caveolin (CAV1) and RIN1. Moreover, ABL1 regulates the CBL family of ubiquitin ligases that drive receptor down-regulation and actin remodeling. Phosphorylation of CBL leads to increased EGFR stability. Involved in late-stage autophagy by regulating positively the trafficking and function of lysosomal components. ABL1 targets to mitochondria in response to oxidative stress and thereby mediates mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. In response to oxidative stress, phosphorylates serine/threonine kinase PRKD2 at 'Tyr-717' (PubMed:28428613). ABL1 is also translocated in the nucleus where it has DNA-binding activity and is involved in DNA-damage response and apoptosis. Many substrates are known mediators of DNA repair: DDB1, DDB2, ERCC3, ERCC6, RAD9A, RAD51, RAD52 or WRN. Activates the proapoptotic pathway when the DNA damage is too severe to be repaired. Phosphorylates TP73, a primary regulator for this type of damage-induced apoptosis. Phosphorylates the caspase CASP9 on 'Tyr-153' and regulates its processing in the apoptotic response to DNA damage. Phosphorylates PSMA7 that leads to an inhibition of proteasomal activity and cell cycle transition blocks. ABL1 also acts as a regulator of multiple pathological signaling cascades during infection. Several known tyrosine-phosphorylated microbial proteins have been identified as ABL1 substrates. This is the case of A36R of Vaccinia virus, Tir (translocated intimin receptor) of pathogenic E.coli and possibly Citrobacter, CagA (cytotoxin-associated gene A) of H.pylori, or AnkA (ankyrin repeat-containing protein A) of A.phagocytophilum. Pathogens can highjack ABL1 kinase signaling to reorganize the host actin cytoskeleton for multiple purposes, like facilitating intracellular movement and host cell exit. Finally, functions as its own regulator through autocatalytic activity as well as through phosphorylation of its inhibitor, ABI1. Regulates T-cell differentiation in a TBX21-dependent manner (By similarity). Positively regulates chemokine-mediated T-cell migration, polarization, and homing to lymph nodes and immune-challenged tissues, potentially via activation of NEDD9/HEF1 and RAP1 (By similarity). Phosphorylates TBX21 on tyrosine residues leading to an enhancement of its transcriptional activator activity (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Cytoplasm, cytoskeletonNucleusMitochondrionNucleus membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (119)

Domains & features

SH3SH2Protein kinase

Gene Ontology

  • Cactin cytoskeleton
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytosol
  • Cdendrite
  • Cglutamatergic synapse
  • Cgrowth cone
  • Cmitochondrion
  • Cneuronal cell body
  • Cnuclear body
  • Cnuclear membrane
  • Cnucleolus
  • Cnucleoplasm

1130 aa · 123 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

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

Synaptic signallingUniProt · GOCell migrationUniProt · GOReceptor tyrosine kinase signallingUniProtGrowth-factor signallingGOCell-cycle regulationGOTranscriptional regulationUniProt · GO · Reactome
View supporting evidence

Synaptic signalling

  • ·Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to c…
  • ·glutamatergic synapse
  • ·postsynapse
  • ·postsynaptic density

Cell migration

  • ·Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to c…
  • ·endothelial cell migration
  • ·positive regulation of cell migration involved in sprouting angiogenesis
  • ·positive regulation of endothelial cell migration

Receptor tyrosine kinase signalling

  • ·Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to c…

Growth-factor signalling

  • ·epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway

Cell-cycle regulation

  • ·mitotic cell cycle

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Non-receptor tyrosine-protein kinase that plays a role in many key processes linked to c…
  • ·transcription coactivator activity
  • ·positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
  • ·regulation of DNA-templated transcription
View underlying pathways (13)

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.

GRB2CRKABI1CRKLRIN1CBLBCRSHC1ATMHSP90A…ABL1

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.

Approved medicines with mapped indications

3 medicines · 6 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive2 medicines
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma2 medicines
Colorectal Neoplasms1 medicine
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors1 medicine
Myelodysplastic-Myeloproliferative Diseases1 medicine
Broader indication categories (1)
Neoplasms1 medicine

Broad umbrella indications (e.g. “Neoplasms”). Shown here because every medicine also appears under a more specific disease above — kept for completeness, de-emphasised for clarity.

15 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 3 shown here are those on this page with a canonical approved disease indication in the graph. Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

4

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Imatinib Mesylate
ApprovedInhibitor

Tyrosine-protein kinase ABL inhibitor

Indicated for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive, Myelodysplastic-Myeloproliferative Diseases, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 4 recorded protein targets

regorafenib
ApprovedInhibitor

Tyrosine-protein kinase ABL inhibitor

Indicated for Colorectal Neoplasms, Neoplasms

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 18 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

bosutinib
ApprovedInhibitor

Tyrosine-protein kinase ABL inhibitor

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 4 recorded protein targets

dasatinib
ApprovedInhibitor

Bcr/Abl fusion protein inhibitor

Indicated for Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

Acts on a complex — shared with BCR · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

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

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 ABL1

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene ABL1that 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.

chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive
0.99Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.83

Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma
0.91Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.72

Congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations syndrome
0.86Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.80

blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive
0.79Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.62

Neoplasms
0.79Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.62

View evidence synthesis (5)
chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positiveWell supported
0.99
agreement 0.911.00
Genetic31%Clinical27%Somatic mutation14%Pathway14%Animal model8%Literature5%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.83 · 6 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-LymphomaWell supported
0.91
agreement 0.801.00
Clinical44%Somatic mutation24%Pathway22%Literature9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.72 · 4 independent evidence families

Congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations syndromeWell supported
0.86
agreement 0.721.00
Genetic97%Literature3%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.80 · 2 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positiveWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.670.91
Clinical61%Somatic mutation37%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

NeoplasmsWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.670.91
Clinical68%Somatic mutation19%Literature13%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 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 per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive0.83
Congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations syndrome0.80
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma0.72
Neoplasms0.62
blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia, BCR-ABL1 positive0.62
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors0.60
Colorectal Neoplasms0.57
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans0.56
Hypereosinophilic syndrome0.56
Myelodysplastic-Myeloproliferative Diseases0.55

Drug development

27 compounds recorded · 15 approved · 12 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 4 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (3 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
XL-228Phase 1
RUSERONTINIBPhase 3
PONATINIBApproval
KW-2449Phase 1
UMBRALISIBApproval
SARACATINIBPhase 2 3
PONATINIB HYDROCHLORIDEApproval
NILOTINIBApproval
ASCIMINIBApproval
AZD-0424Phase 1

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (go cc med conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

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

View underlying tractability evidence (10)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · GO CC med confPR · LiteraturePR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

heart diseaseForce et al. (2011)regulation of catalytic activityToxCast

Terms indexed against this target in Open Targets' safety data, with their datasource. These are annotations, not causal claims: the direction of effect (whether activation or inhibition is implicated), species and evidence strength are not captured here, so an entry does not mean that modulating this target is known to cause that condition.

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. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via dasatinib · NCT05838560

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via regorafenib · NCT05395741

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via dasatinib · NCT03906292

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · via dasatinib · NCT02465060

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

12

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for 4 drugs that target this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Label change2026-07-13

    Label change: IMATINIB MESYLATE (NDA021588)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

  2. Regulatory approval2026-06-12

    Approval: BOSUTINIB (ANDA209624)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via bosutinib

  3. Label change2026-01-14

    Label change: IMATINIB MESYLATE (NDA021588)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

  4. Regulatory approval2025-05-23

    Approval: BOSUTINIB (ANDA209543)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via bosutinib

  5. Label change2024-12-09

    Label change: IMATINIB (ANDA204644)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

  6. New publication2024-06-04
    Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab Versus Standard of Care for Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Final Analysis of the Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III LEAP-017 Study.

    Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024 · 69 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

  7. New publication2024-04-04
    The Differential Effect of Senolytics on SASP Cytokine Secretion and Regulation of EMT by CAFs.

    International journal of molecular sciences · 2024 · 20 citations · Europe PMC · via dasatinib

  8. Supplemental approval2024-03-01

    Supplemental approval: IMATINIB MESYLATE (NDA021588)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

  9. New publication2024-02-27
    KIT mutations and expression: current knowledge and new insights for overcoming IM resistance in GIST.

    Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024 · 28 citations · Europe PMC · via Imatinib Mesylate

  10. New publication2024-01-05
    Genomic profiling in GIST: Implications in clinical outcome and future challenges.

    Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2024 · 20 citations · Europe PMC · via Imatinib Mesylate

  11. Label change2024-01-05

    Label change: IMATINIB (ANDA204644)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

  12. Label change2024-01-05

    Label change: IMATINIB (ANDA204644)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Imatinib Mesylate

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.