Species Human Entrez 51297 | Human Mouse Ensembl ENSG00000198183 | |
Aliases BPIFA1, LUNX, NASG, PLUNC, SPLUNC1, SPURT, bA49G10.5, BPI fold containing family A member 1 External IDs OMIM: 607412 MGI: 1338036 HomoloGene: 7895 GeneCards: BPIFA1 | ||
Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone protein (PLUNC) is a gene encoding a secretory protein. It is also called Secretory protein in upper respiratory tracts (SPURT). In humans, it is encoded by the BPIFA1 gene, previously called PLUNC.
Function
This gene is the human homolog of murine plunc, and like the mouse gene, is specifically expressed in the airways and nasopharyngeal regions. Plunc inhibits the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), and also has anti-microbial functions. As such, plunc is believed to play a role in innate immune defense in the airways. PLUNC's ability to regulate ENaC is pH-sensitive and fails in acidic cystic fibrosis airways. Thus, defective PLUNC1 function is thought to contribute to the development of lung pathology in cystic fibrosis patients.
It may also serve as a potential molecular marker for detection of micrometastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer.