CD68 Gene

HGNC Family	CD molecules (CD)
Name	CD68 molecule
Description	This gene encodes a 110-kD transmembrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed by human monocytes and tissue macrophages. It is a member of the lysosomal/endosomal-associated membrane glycoprotein (LAMP) family. The protein primarily localizes to lysosomes and endosomes with a smaller fraction circulating to the cell surface. It is a type I integral membrane protein with a heavily glycosylated extracellular domain and binds to tissue- and organ-specific lectins or selectins. The protein is also a member of the scavenger receptor family. Scavenger receptors typically function to clear cellular debris, promote phagocytosis, and mediate the recruitment and activation of macrophages. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcripts encoding different isoforms. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\n CD68 is a lysosomal glycoprotein widely recognized as a pan‐macrophage marker and is frequently used in studies to identify and characterize macrophage populations in various disease settings. In human cervical cancers, for instance, activated tumor‐associated macrophages expressing CD68, along with other markers such as CD14 and CD23, have been shown to produce high levels of lymphangiogenic factors VEGF‐C and VEGF‐D, thereby contributing to peritumoral lymphangiogenesis and subsequent tumor dissemination."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In a separate investigation of human papillomavirus–associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, CD68<sup>+</sup> tumor‐associated macrophages were found to express the immunosuppressive ligand PD-L1 and localize at lymphocyte fronts, suggesting that these cells participate in establishing an “immune-privileged” microenvironment that facilitates immune escape."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " Moreover, studies examining the intestinal immune compartment identified a distinct subset of macrophages that coexpress CD68 along with dendritic cell markers; these cells produce robust levels of proinflammatory cytokines (for example, IL-23, TNF-α, and IL-6) and are expanded in Crohn disease, indicating their involvement in the chronic intestinal inflammation observed in this condition."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "3"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " In rheumatoid arthritis, analyses of synovial tissues have revealed that CD68<sup>+</sup> macrophages in the synovial lining layer exhibit reduced levels of the inhibitory molecule SHIP-1, a change that correlates with enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines and contributes to the perpetuation of joint inflammation."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n "}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sebastian F Schoppmann, Peter Birner, Johannes Stöckl, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Tumor-associated macrophages express lymphatic endothelial growth factors and are related to peritumoral lymphangiogenesis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Am J Pathol (2002)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/S0002-9440(10)64255-1"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9440(10"}, {"type": "t", "text": "64255-1) PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "12213723"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12213723"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sofia Lyford-Pike, Shiwen Peng, Geoffrey D Young, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Evidence for a role of the PD-1:PD-L1 pathway in immune resistance of HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cancer Res (2013)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-2384"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-12-2384"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "23288508"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23288508"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Nobuhiko Kamada, Tadakazu Hisamatsu, Susumu Okamoto, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Unique CD14 intestinal macrophages contribute to the pathogenesis of Crohn disease via IL-23/IFN-gamma axis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "J Clin Invest (2008)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1172/JCI34610"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI34610"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "18497880"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18497880"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Mariola Kurowska-Stolarska, Stefano Alivernini, Lucy E Ballantine, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "MicroRNA-155 as a proinflammatory regulator in clinical and experimental arthritis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2011)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1073/pnas.1019536108"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019536108"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "21690378"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21690378"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	GP110, SCARD1, LAMP4
Proteins	CD68_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	968
API
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Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

CD68 has 12,194 functional associations with biological entities spanning 8 categories (molecular profile, organism, functional term, phrase or reference, chemical, disease, phenotype or trait, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA) extracted from 112 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for CD68 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of CD68 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 CD68 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with CD68 gene from the CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of CD68 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of CD68 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022	transcription factors binding the promoter of CD68 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	CM4AI U2OS Cell Map Protein Localization Assemblies	assemblies containing CD68 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 CD68 gene from the CMAP Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing CD68 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing CD68 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with CD68 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions	chemicals interacting with CD68 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Chemical Interactions dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with CD68 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by CD68 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Experimental Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases associated with CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with CD68 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 CD68 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 CD68 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of CD68 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 CD68 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of CD68 gene relative to other cell lines from the GDSC Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations	biological terms co-occuring with CD68 gene in literature-supported statements describing functions of genes from the GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations dataset.
	GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing CD68 from the GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures dataset.