BCAM Gene

HGNC Family	Blood group antigens, CD molecules (CD), Immunoglobulin superfamily domain containing
Name	basal cell adhesion molecule (Lutheran blood group)
Description	This gene encodes Lutheran blood group glycoprotein, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and a receptor for the extracellular matrix protein, laminin. The protein contains five extracellular immunoglobulin domains, a single transmembrane domain, and a short C-terminal cytoplasmic tail. This protein may play a role in epithelial cell cancer and in vaso-occlusion of red blood cells in sickle cell disease. Polymorphisms in this gene define some of the antigens in the Lutheran system and also the Auberger system. Inactivating variants of this gene result in the recessive Lutheran null phenotype, Lu(a-b-), of the Lutheran blood group. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, May 2012]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n BCAM (Basal Cell Adhesion Molecule), also known as Lutheran glycoprotein (Lu/BCAM), is a transmembrane adhesion receptor that specifically binds laminin α5—a key component of various basement membranes (1,2). Through this interaction, BCAM mediates cell–matrix adhesion processes that are crucial for normal tissue organization and development. In erythroid cells, especially in the context of sickle cell disease, increased BCAM expression and its phosphorylation via cAMP‐dependent signaling pathways (involving protein kinase A) enhance adhesion to laminin α5, thereby contributing to vaso‐occlusive events (3,4,5,6). In addition, studies using gene‐targeted models have demonstrated that BCAM is essential for maintaining basement membrane integrity in organs such as the kidney and intestine, where its absence leads to disorganized capillary networks and altered tissue architecture (7,8). Beyond its role in hematologic disorders, BCAM modulates tumor cell behavior; by competitively affecting integrin–laminin interactions, it influences cell shape and migratory capability, thereby promoting cancer cell migration and metastasis (9,10). Moreover, proteolytic processing of BCAM by metalloproteinases generates soluble forms that can serve as potential biomarkers and modulators within the tumor microenvironment (11). Recent evidence also indicates that BCAM contributes to progenitor cell maintenance—for instance, its heightened expression in early trophoblast progenitors appears to regulate organoid growth (12). Collectively, these findings underscore the multifaceted role of BCAM in directing cell adhesion via its interaction with laminin α5, impacting processes from vascular pathophysiology and cancer progression to tissue development.\n "}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n <ul>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Defines BCAM as a specific receptor for laminin α5.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Provides structural insights into the extracellular domains of BCAM.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Demonstrates phosphorylation of BCAM in sickle red cells and its role in cell adhesion.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Shows that cAMP-mediated signaling activates BCAM to promote red cell adhesion.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "5"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Quantifies active BCAM recruitment on sickle red blood cells using single‐molecule techniques.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "6"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Indicates early upregulation of BCAM on stress reticulocytes in sickle cell infants.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "7"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Reports that loss of BCAM in mouse models leads to glomerular basement membrane abnormalities.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "8"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Describes the role of BCAM in maintaining proper cellular adhesion in kidney and intestinal tissues.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "9"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Connects BCAM function to tumor cell migration via modulation of integrin binding.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "10"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Demonstrates oncogenic functions of BCAM in bladder cancer through its effect on cell adhesion and migration.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "11"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Identifies soluble BCAM in plasma as a potential marker for hepatocellular carcinoma.\n </li>\n <li>"}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "12"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "  – Highlights BCAM’s role as a marker and regulator in early trophoblast progenitor cells.\n </li>\n </ul>"}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yamato Kikkawa, Casey L Moulson, Ismo Virtanen, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Identification of the binding site for the Lutheran blood group glycoprotein on laminin alpha 5 through expression of chimeric laminin chains in vivo."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2002)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M208731200"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M208731200"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12244066"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12244066"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Tosti J Mankelow, Nicholas Burton, Fanney O Stefansdottir, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "The Laminin 511/521-binding site on the Lutheran blood group glycoprotein is located at the flexible junction of Ig domains 2 and 3."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Blood (2007)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1182/blood-2007-06-094748"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2007-06-094748"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "17638854"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17638854"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Emilie Gauthier, Cécile Rahuel, Marie Paule Wautier, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation of Lutheran/basal cell adhesion molecule glycoprotein regulates cell adhesion to laminin alpha5."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M503293200"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M503293200"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15975931"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15975931"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Meghan M Murphy, Mohamed A Zayed, Allyson Evans, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Role of Rap1 in promoting sickle red blood cell adhesion to laminin via BCAM/LU."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Blood (2005)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1182/blood-2004-07-2881"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2004-07-2881"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "15613546"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15613546"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Jamie L Maciaszek, Biree Andemariam, Krithika Abiraman, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "AKAP-dependent modulation of BCAM/Lu adhesion on normal and sickle cell disease RBCs revealed by force nanoscopy."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Biophys J (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.bpj.2014.02.001"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2014.02.001"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24655501"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24655501"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Valentine Brousse, Yves Colin, Catia Pereira, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Erythroid Adhesion Molecules in Sickle Cell Anaemia Infants: Insights Into Early Pathophysiology."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "EBioMedicine (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.ebiom.2014.12.006"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2014.12.006"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "26137540"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26137540"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cécile Rahuel, Anne Filipe, Léa Ritie, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Genetic inactivation of the laminin alpha5 chain receptor Lu/BCAM leads to kidney and intestinal abnormalities in the mouse."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Am J Physiol Renal Physiol (2008)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1152/ajprenal.00315.2007"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1152/ajprenal.00315.2007"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "18032551"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18032551"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Anne Laure Bolcato-Bellemin, Olivier Lefebvre, Christiane Arnold, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Laminin alpha5 chain is required for intestinal smooth muscle development."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Dev Biol (2003)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/s0012-1606(03)00254-9"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/s0012-1606(03"}, {"type": "t", "text": "00254-9) PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12921739"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12921739"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 9, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yamato Kikkawa, Takaho Ogawa, Ryo Sudo, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "The lutheran/basal cell adhesion molecule promotes tumor cell migration by modulating integrin-mediated cell attachment to laminin-511 protein."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biol Chem (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1074/jbc.M113.486456"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M113.486456"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "24036115"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24036115"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 10, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hong-Yi Chang, Hsin-Mei Chang, Tsung-Jung Wu, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "The role of Lutheran/basal cell adhesion molecule in human bladder carcinogenesis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Biomed Sci (2017)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/s12929-017-0360-x"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-017-0360-x"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "28841878"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28841878"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 11, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Yamato Kikkawa, Takahiro Miwa, Naoki Tanimizu, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Soluble Lutheran/basal cell adhesion molecule is detectable in plasma of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and modulates cellular interaction with laminin-511 in vitro."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Exp Cell Res (2014)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.yexcr.2014.07.012"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2014.07.012"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "25051049"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25051049"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 12, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Matthew J Shannon, Jennet Baltayeva, Barbara Castellana, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cell trajectory modeling identifies a primitive trophoblast state defined by BCAM enrichment."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Development (2022)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1242/dev.199840"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.199840"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "35020896"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35020896"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	LU, MSK19, AU, CD239
Proteins	BCAM_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	4059
API
Download Associations
Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

BCAM has 6,129 functional associations with biological entities spanning 9 categories (molecular profile, organism, chemical, disease, phenotype or trait, functional term, phrase or reference, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA, sequence feature) extracted from 114 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for BCAM from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

BCAM Gene

Functional Associations

Please acknowledge the Harmonizome in your publications by citing the following reference(s):

	Dataset	Summary
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles	tissue samples with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other cell lines from the BioGPS Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures	small molecule perturbations changing expression of BCAM gene from the Carcinogenome Chemical Perturbation Carcinogenicity Signatures dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of BCAM gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of BCAM gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of BCAM gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of BCAM gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations 2025	phenotypes associated with BCAM gene from the curated ClinVar Gene-Phenotype Associations 2025 dataset.
	CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies	assemblies containing BCAM protein from integrated AP-MS and IF data from the CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies dataset.
	CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of BCAM gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing BCAM protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing BCAM protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing BCAM protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing BCAM protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with BCAM protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components co-occuring with BCAM protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of BCAM gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with BCAM gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with BCAM gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with BCAM gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action	small molecule perturbations with high or low expression of BCAM protein relative to other small molecule perturbations from the DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by BCAM gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases associated with BCAM gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with BCAM gene in GWAS datasets from the DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with BCAM gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases co-occuring with BCAM gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with BCAM gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with BCAM gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Phenoptype Associations dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at BCAM gene from the ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of BCAM gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of BCAM gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing BCAM from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GAD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with BCAM gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the GAD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.