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Protein / target

Myelin basic protein

Encoded byMBPP02686Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
UniProt: P02686Ensembl: ENSG00000197971HGNC: HGNC:6925NCBI Gene: 4155
Antibody-tractable
Druggability
UniProt loc med conf
2
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Structural constituent of myelin sheath

Strongest disease association

Alcohol drinking

Via encoding gene MBP · Genetic evidence · score 0.61

Research activity

Emerging research

2 papers · latest 2025

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

The classic group of MBP isoforms (isoform 4-isoform 14) are with PLP the most abundant protein components of the myelin membrane in the CNS.

View complete UniProt function annotation

The classic group of MBP isoforms (isoform 4-isoform 14) are with PLP the most abundant protein components of the myelin membrane in the CNS. They have a role in both its formation and stabilization. The smaller isoforms might have an important role in remyelination of denuded axons in multiple sclerosis. The non-classic group of MBP isoforms (isoform 1-isoform 3/Golli-MBPs) may preferentially have a role in the early developing brain long before myelination, maybe as components of transcriptional complexes, and may also be involved in signaling pathways in T-cells and neural cells. Differential splicing events combined with optional post-translational modifications give a wide spectrum of isomers, with each of them potentially having a specialized function. Induces T-cell proliferation

Subcellular location

Myelin membraneNucleus
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (20)

Gene Ontology

  • Ccell periphery
  • Ccell surface
  • Ccompact myelin
  • Ccytosol
  • Cinternode region of axon
  • Cmyelin sheath
  • Cneuronal cell body
  • Cnucleus
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Csynapse
  • Fcalmodulin binding
  • Flipid binding

304 aa · 33 kDa · 6 isoforms

Biological roles

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

Synaptic signallingGO
View supporting evidence

Synaptic signalling

  • ·synapse
  • ·chemical synaptic transmission

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 MBP

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene MBPthat 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.

Alcohol drinking
0.61Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.37

Duodenal ulcer
0.49Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.30

Pre-Eclampsia
0.45Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.27

Pericarditis
0.30Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.18

Alzheimer's Disease
0.14Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.11 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Alcohol drinkingModerately supported
0.61
agreement 0.47–0.75
Genetic100%Literature0%

Open Targets aggregate 0.37 · 2 independent evidence families

Duodenal ulcerLimited support
0.49
agreement 0.37–0.61
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.30 · 1 independent evidence family

Pre-EclampsiaLimited support
0.45
agreement 0.31–0.59
Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.27 · 2 independent evidence families

PericarditisLimited support
0.30
agreement 0.18–0.42
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.18 · 1 independent evidence family

Alzheimer's DiseasePreliminary
0.14
agreement 0.00–0.33
Literature94%RNA expression6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.11 · 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
Alcohol drinking0.37
Duodenal ulcer0.30
Pre-Eclampsia0.27
Pericarditis0.18
Alzheimer's Disease0.11

Tractability

Antibodies — Emerging

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

Protein degraders — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (half-life data) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (4)
AB · UniProt loc med confAB · GO CC med confAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · Half-life Data

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

2 papers · to 2025

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

Most cited

Myelin basic protein mRNA levels affect myelin sheath dimensions, architecture, plasticity, and density of resident glial cells.18 cites

Bagheri H · Glia · 2024

Brain injury biomarkers and applications in neurological diseases.12 cites

Zhang H · Chinese medical journal · 2025

Recent

Brain injury biomarkers and applications in neurological diseases.

Zhang H · Chinese medical journal · 2025

Myelin basic protein mRNA levels affect myelin sheath dimensions, architecture, plasticity, and density of resident glial cells.

Bagheri H · Glia · 2024

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.