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Protein / target

Neural cell adhesion molecule L1

Encoded byL1CAMP32004Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
UniProt: P32004Ensembl: ENSG00000198910HGNC: HGNC:6470NCBI Gene: 3897
Antibody-tractable
Druggability
UniProt loc high conf
1
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Axon guidance receptor

Strongest disease association

Genetic Diseases, Inborn

Via encoding gene L1CAM · Genetic evidence · score 0.85

Research activity

Emerging research

1 papers · latest 2023

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

Neural cell adhesion molecule involved in the dynamics of cell adhesion and in the generation of transmembrane signals at tyrosine kinase receptors.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Neural cell adhesion molecule involved in the dynamics of cell adhesion and in the generation of transmembrane signals at tyrosine kinase receptors. During brain development, critical in multiple processes, including neuronal migration, axonal growth and fasciculation, and synaptogenesis. In the mature brain, plays a role in the dynamics of neuronal structure and function, including synaptic plasticity

Subcellular location

Cell membraneCell projection, growth coneCell projection, axonCell projection, dendrite
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (32)

Domains & features

Ig-like C2-type 1Ig-like C2-type 2Ig-like C2-type 3Ig-like C2-type 4Ig-like C2-type 5Ig-like C2-type 6Fibronectin type-III 1Fibronectin type-III 2Fibronectin type-III 3Fibronectin type-III 4Fibronectin type-III 5

Gene Ontology

  • Caxon
  • Caxonal growth cone
  • Ccell surface
  • Cdendrite
  • Cextracellular matrix
  • Cfocal adhesion
  • Cneuronal cell body
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Faxon guidance receptor activity
  • Fprotein domain specific binding
  • Paxon development
  • Paxon guidance

1257 aa · 140 kDa · 3 isoforms

Biological roles

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

Cell migrationGOSynaptic signallingGOCell adhesionUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·cell migration
  • ·chemotaxis

Synaptic signalling

  • ·synapse organization

Cell adhesion

  • ·Neural cell adhesion molecule involved in the dynamics of cell adhesion and in the gener…
  • ·extracellular matrix
  • ·cell adhesion
  • ·homophilic cell-cell adhesion

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 L1CAM

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene L1CAM that 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.

Genetic Diseases, Inborn
0.85Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.52

Neurodegenerative Diseases
0.25Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.35 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (2)
Genetic Diseases, InbornWell supported
0.85
agreement 0.71–0.99
Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.52 · 2 independent evidence families

Neurodegenerative DiseasesPreliminary
0.25
agreement 0.07–0.42
Pathway89%Literature11%

Open Targets aggregate 0.35 · 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
Genetic Diseases, Inborn0.52
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.35

Tractability

Antibodies — Emerging

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

Protein degraders — Emerging

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

View underlying tractability evidence (5)
AB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life Data

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

1 papers · to 2023

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

Most cited

Prenatal Cannabinoid Exposure Elicits Memory Deficits Associated with Reduced PSA-NCAM Expression, Altered Glutamatergic Signaling, and Adaptations in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity.11 cites

Pinky PD · Cells · 2023

Recent

Prenatal Cannabinoid Exposure Elicits Memory Deficits Associated with Reduced PSA-NCAM Expression, Altered Glutamatergic Signaling, and Adaptations in Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity.

Pinky PD · Cells · 2023

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.