CALR (calreticulin)

Abstract

Calreticulin (CALR) is a multifunctional protein involved in molecular chaperoning and calcium homeostasis. CALR has also been associated with proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion and anoikis resistance in cancer cells. The prognostic impact of CALR expression is yet to be elucidated, however in some types of cancer, high CALR expression has been related to worse clinical outcomes. Notably, the discovery of recurrent mutations in the exon 9 of the CALR gene in myeloproliferative neoplasms has opened a new round of investigations. The present review contains data on CALR DNA/RNA, protein encoded and function.

Clinical and Laboratory Features of JAK2 V617F, CALR, and MPL Mutations in Malaysian Patients with Classical Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN)

“…The CALR is a multifunctional protein that resides mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm. It has several functions that contribute to calcium homeostasis, and it acts as a chaperone in interactions with MPL and JAK/STAT signaling, controlling cell proliferation and survival [ 10 ]. The most common mutations involved at either 52 base pair deletions (referred to as Type 1) or 5 base pair insertions (Type 2) are restricted to exon 9, which generates a +1 base-pair frameshift, eliminating most of the C-terminal domain and disrupting the Ca++ binding process [ 11 ].…”