FTHL17

gene
On this page

Also known as CT38

Summary

FTHL17 (ferritin heavy chain like 17, HGNC:3987) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome Xp21.2, encoding Ferritin heavy polypeptide-like 17 (Q9BXU8).

This gene encodes a ferritin heavy chain-like protein. This gene is primarily expressed in embryonic germ cells. The encoded protein may lack ferroxidase activity. Multiple pseudogenes of this gene are found on chromosome X.

Source: NCBI Gene 53940 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • GWAS associations: 1
  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 24 total
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_031894

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:3987
Approved symbolFTHL17
Nameferritin heavy chain like 17
LocationXp21.2
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesCT38
Ensembl geneENSG00000132446
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM300308
Entrez53940

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 1 — 1 protein_coding

ENST00000359202

RefSeq mRNA: 1 — MANE Select: NM_031894 NM_031894

CCDS: CCDS14227

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000359202 — 1 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE000014313093107123331072041

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth broad, 11 present calls, max score 80.51.

FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth tissue_specific, TPM avg 0.0813 / max 121.0469, expressed in 5 samples.

FANTOM5 promoters (2 alternative TSS)

Promoter IDTPM avgSamples expressed
1987940.06854
1987930.01282

Top tissues by expression

244 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testisCL:0000089 ∩ UBERON:000047380.51silver quality
oocyteCL:000002371.15silver quality
secondary oocyteCL:000065568.33gold quality
right testisUBERON:000453463.39gold quality
left testisUBERON:000453362.46gold quality
testisUBERON:000047360.76gold quality
lower lobe of lungUBERON:000894951.70silver quality
primordial germ cell in gonadCL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:000099148.42silver quality
adult organismUBERON:000702348.19gold quality
substantia nigra pars reticulataUBERON:000196647.24gold quality
substantia nigra pars compactaUBERON:000196546.57gold quality
skeletal muscle tissue of biceps brachiiUBERON:000450243.66gold quality
skeletal muscle tissue of rectus abdominisUBERON:000451143.37gold quality
jejunumUBERON:000211543.15gold quality
biceps brachiiUBERON:000150742.25gold quality
urethraUBERON:000005742.13gold quality
vastus lateralisUBERON:000137941.69gold quality
quadriceps femorisUBERON:000137741.64gold quality
superficial temporal arteryUBERON:000161441.33gold quality
palpebral conjunctivaUBERON:000181241.10gold quality
mucosa of paranasal sinusUBERON:000503040.98gold quality
amniotic fluidUBERON:000017340.69gold quality
jejunal mucosaUBERON:000039940.59gold quality
bronchial epithelial cellCL:000232840.49gold quality
epithelium of nasopharynxUBERON:000195140.45gold quality
myocardiumUBERON:000234940.45gold quality
bronchusUBERON:000218540.44gold quality
gingival epitheliumUBERON:000194940.43gold quality
germinal epithelium of ovaryUBERON:000130440.33gold quality
esophagus squamous epitheliumUBERON:000692040.29gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 1 experiment(s), a significant marker in 0.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-ANND-3no0.65

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

miRNA regulators (miRDB)

14 targeting FTHL17, top 30 by miRDB confidence (max_score; target_count = how many genes the miRNA targets in total — lower means more specific):

miRNAMax scoreAvg scoremiRNA target_count
HSA-MIR-9983-3P99.9471.483631
HSA-MIR-129-5P99.8870.263273
HSA-MIR-137-3P99.8774.742401
HSA-MIR-5582-3P99.8672.484221
HSA-MIR-548AR-3P99.8571.263889
HSA-MIR-548AZ-3P99.8270.563549
HSA-MIR-548BC99.8270.613524
HSA-MIR-548E-3P99.8270.593514
HSA-MIR-548F-3P99.8270.593540
HSA-MIR-4639-5P99.8167.371028
HSA-MIR-57799.7869.132479
HSA-MIR-548A-3P99.7670.583524
HSA-MIR-4766-5P99.7569.232662
HSA-MIR-589-5P98.7266.96927

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 2)

  • FTHL17 encodes a ferritin-like protein without ferroxidase activity. Its restricted embryonic expression and partial nuclear localization suggest that this novel ferritin type may have functions other than iron storage. (PMID:25749565)
  • Describe the first 46,XY PGD pedigree that may be attributed to mutations of the FTHL17 gene and speculate that the FTHL17 gene is involved in the testis-determining pathway and tumorigenesis. (PMID:30922653)

Cross-species orthologs

5 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
danio_reriozgc:56095ENSDARG00000018461
danio_reriozgc:172145ENSDARG00000045586
drosophila_melanogasterFer3HCHFBGN0030449
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001500
caenorhabditis_elegansftn-2WBGENE00001501

Paralogs (3): FTL (ENSG00000087086), FTH1 (ENSG00000167996), FTMT (ENSG00000181867)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Ferritin heavy polypeptide-like 17Q9BXU8 (reviewed: Q9BXU8)

Alternative names: Cancer/testis antigen 38

All UniProt accessions (2): Q9BXU8, A0A384NPV7

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Tissue specificity. Testis specific. Also expressed in several cancers.

Similarity. Belongs to the ferritin family.

RefSeq proteins (1): NP_114100* (*=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR001519FerritinFamily
IPR008331Ferritin_DPS_domDomain
IPR009040Ferritin-like_diironDomain
IPR009078Ferritin-like_SFHomologous_superfamily
IPR012347Ferritin-likeHomologous_superfamily
IPR014034Ferritin_CSConserved_site

Pfam: PF00210

UniProt features (8 total): binding site 4, sequence variant 2, chain 1, domain 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

0 structures.

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-Q9BXU8-F193.350.86

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Ligand- & substrate-binding residues (4): 28; 66; 108; 142

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

0 pathways

MSigDB gene sets: 51 (showing top): CREL_01, GOBP_TRANSITION_METAL_ION_TRANSPORT, SP3_Q3, GOBP_INTRACELLULAR_IRON_ION_HOMEOSTASIS, GOBP_IRON_ION_TRANSPORT, GOBP_MONOATOMIC_CATION_TRANSPORT, NFKB_C, GGGNNTTTCC_NFKB_Q6_01, GOBP_MONOATOMIC_ION_HOMEOSTASIS, TGGAAA_NFAT_Q4_01, TAATTA_CHX10_01, GOBP_HOMEOSTATIC_PROCESS, GOBP_CHEMICAL_HOMEOSTASIS, GOMF_FERROUS_IRON_BINDING, GOMF_IRON_ION_BINDING

GO Biological Process (2): iron ion transport (GO:0006826), intracellular iron ion homeostasis (GO:0006879)

GO Molecular Function (4): ferrous iron binding (GO:0008198), ferric iron binding (GO:0008199), protein binding (GO:0005515), metal ion binding (GO:0046872)

GO Cellular Component (1): cytoplasm (GO:0005737)

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
iron ion binding2
transition metal ion transport1
intracellular monoatomic cation homeostasis1
inorganic ion homeostasis1
binding1
cation binding1
intracellular anatomical structure1
cellular anatomical structure1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

830 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
FTHL17OR6X1Q8NH79541
FTHL17AQP7BA0A075B734523
FTHL17ZNF165P49910479
FTHL17CT55Q8WUE5476
FTHL17MAGEB2O15479476
FTHL17SPANXN1Q5VSR9450
FTHL17CSAG1Q6PB30448
FTHL17XAGE1BQ9HD64430
FTHL17CPXCR1Q8N123424
FTHL17KRTAP19-7Q3SYF9419
FTHL17OR13J1Q8NGT2417
FTHL17GAGE4P0DSO3417
FTHL17PRAMEP78395414
FTHL17GMCL2Q8NEA9414
FTHL17MAGEB1P43366408

IntAct

19 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
NOTCH2NLCFTHL17psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
TMEM239FTHL17psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
KRTAP10-8FTHL17psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FTHL17PUF60psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
GSG1FTHL17psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
SLC35E1FTHL17psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
FTHL17NOTCH2NLCpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FTHL17TMEM239psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FTHL17KRTAP10-8psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FTHL17PUF60psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FTHL17SLC35E1psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000
FTHL17GSG1psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.000

BioGRID (8): FTHL17 (Affinity Capture-MS), FTHL17 (Two-hybrid), FTHL17 (Two-hybrid), PUF60 (Two-hybrid), KRTAP10-8 (Two-hybrid), TMEM239 (Two-hybrid), NOTCH2NL (Two-hybrid), NBPF19 (Two-hybrid)

ESM2 similar proteins: O46119, O46414, O46415, P02791, P02792, P02793, P02794, P07229, P07797, P07798, P08267, P09451, P09528, P0A999, P0A9A1, P17663, P18685, P19130, P19132, P19133, P25319, P25320, P25915, P29389, P29391, P42577, P49946, P49947, P49948, P80145, P85835, P85836, P85837, P85838, P85839, Q26061, Q2MHN1, Q2MHN2, Q2YDI9, Q53VB8

Diamond homologs: E1WS50, O46414, P02794, P07229, P08267, P09528, P0A998, P0A999, P0A9A0, P0A9A1, P0CJ83, P17663, P18685, P19130, P19132, P25915, P29389, P43707, P43708, P49946, P49947, P49948, P52093, P80145, P85835, P85836, P85837, P85838, P85839, Q26061, Q2FFK2, Q2FWZ8, Q2MHN2, Q2YDI9, Q2YU34, Q46106, Q4L7K6, Q5HEN0, Q5R8J7, Q6G840

SIGNOR signaling

0 interactions.

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

24 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic0
Likely pathogenic0
Uncertain significance19
Likely benign4
Benign1

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (0)

SpliceAI

108 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
X:31071692:T:TAdonor_gain0.8800
X:31071743:T:Cdonor_gain0.5900
X:31071761:C:CAdonor_gain0.5800
X:31071719:C:CTdonor_gain0.5500
X:31071718:C:CTdonor_gain0.5400
X:31071920:T:TAdonor_gain0.5300
X:31071749:T:TAdonor_gain0.5200
X:31071453:AG:Adonor_gain0.5100
X:31071821:C:Adonor_gain0.5000
X:31071454:G:Cdonor_gain0.4900
X:31071577:C:CAdonor_gain0.4900
X:31071746:G:Cdonor_gain0.4900
X:31071550:T:Adonor_gain0.4800
X:31071498:GTAGC:Gdonor_gain0.4700
X:31071772:T:TAdonor_gain0.4700
X:31071848:G:Cdonor_gain0.4700
X:31071524:TG:Tdonor_gain0.4500
X:31071679:TGGC:Tdonor_gain0.4500
X:31071693:C:Adonor_gain0.4500
X:31071840:C:CTacceptor_gain0.4500
X:31071918:CTT:Cdonor_gain0.4400
X:31071499:TAGCC:Tdonor_gain0.4300
X:31071500:AGCCA:Adonor_gain0.4300
X:31071824:G:Tacceptor_gain0.4300
X:31071917:A:ACdonor_gain0.4300
X:31071918:C:CCdonor_gain0.4300
X:31071674:AG:Adonor_gain0.4200
X:31071820:T:TAdonor_gain0.4100
X:31071626:T:Adonor_gain0.4000
X:31071736:AG:Adonor_gain0.4000

AlphaMissense

1206 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
X:31071828:G:CF42L0.898
X:31071828:G:TF42L0.898
X:31071830:A:GF42L0.898
X:31071441:G:CF171L0.885
X:31071441:G:TF171L0.885
X:31071443:A:GF171L0.885
X:31071786:G:CF56L0.883
X:31071786:G:TF56L0.883
X:31071788:A:GF56L0.883
X:31071555:G:CF133L0.878
X:31071555:G:TF133L0.878
X:31071557:A:GF133L0.878
X:31071834:G:CF40L0.859
X:31071834:G:TF40L0.859
X:31071836:A:GF40L0.859
X:31071725:G:TR77S0.805
X:31071823:C:GR44P0.790
X:31071672:C:AW94C0.788
X:31071672:C:GW94C0.788
X:31071674:A:GW94R0.779
X:31071674:A:TW94R0.779
X:31071655:G:TA100D0.774
X:31071610:A:GL115P0.770
X:31071798:G:CF52L0.767
X:31071798:G:TF52L0.767
X:31071800:A:GF52L0.767
X:31071644:C:GA104P0.764
X:31071601:A:GL118P0.761
X:31071724:C:GR77P0.761
X:31071589:G:TA122D0.756

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1001602359 (X:31072271 C>T), RS1003461151 (X:31072765 A>G,T), RS1003535219 (X:31071161 A>G), RS1004080251 (X:31071418 C>T), RS1005746557 (X:31073031 G>T), RS1008080914 (X:31071385 G>C,T), RS1010770945 (X:31072273 C>A), RS1013308539 (X:31072967 G>A), RS1014111992 (X:31072257 C>T), RS1015651784 (X:31073523 G>T), RS1015767767 (X:31073044 A>C), RS1016480895 (X:31072159 C>A), RS1019133678 (X:31072686 A>T), RS1020795330 (X:31072275 C>G,T), RS1021577336 (X:31071906 G>C)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:300308 | disease phenotypes: MIM:310200

GenCC curated gene-disease

Mondo (1): Duchenne muscular dystrophy (MONDO:0010679)

Orphanet (1): Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Orphanet:98896)

HPO phenotypes

0 total (0 of 0 shown, HPO-id order):

GWAS associations

1 associations (top):

StudyTraitp-value
GCST009391_629Metabolite levels2.000000e-07

EFO canonical traits (1, from GWAS)

EFO IDTrait name
EFO:0010503inosine measurement

MeSH disease descriptors (1)

DescriptorNameTree numbers
D020388Muscular Dystrophy, DuchenneC05.651.534.500.300; C10.668.491.175.500.300; C16.320.322.562; C16.320.577.300

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

CTD chemical–gene interactions

16 total (human), top 16 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
Valproic Acidaffects cotreatment, increases expression, increases methylation2
tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphateincreases expression1
sodium arseniteincreases expression1
aflatoxin B2increases methylation1
CGP 52608affects binding, increases reaction1
K 7174increases expression1
Grape Seed Proanthocyanidinsaffects cotreatment, increases expression1
Resveratrolaffects cotreatment, decreases expression1
Benzo(a)pyreneaffects methylation, decreases methylation1
Catechinaffects cotreatment, increases expression1
Diethylhexyl Phthalateincreases expression1
Hydralazineaffects cotreatment, increases expression1
Plant Extractsaffects cotreatment, decreases expression1
Tobacco Smoke Pollutionincreases expression1
Aflatoxin B1increases methylation1
Copper Sulfateincreases expression1

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

300 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.

TrialPhaseStatusTitle
NCT00606775PHASE4UNKNOWNThe Preventive Efficacy of Carvedilol on Cardiac Dysfunction in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT00819845PHASE4UNKNOWNRamipril Versus Carvedilol in Duchenne and Becker Patients
NCT01422200PHASE4COMPLETEDFlu Vaccine Study in Neuromuscular Patients 2011
NCT01999075PHASE4COMPLETEDStacking Exercises Aid the Decline in FVC and Sick Time
NCT04687020PHASE4ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGLong-term Use of Viltolarsen in Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Clinical Practice (VILT-502)
NCT04708314PHASE4TERMINATEDAn Open-Label Study of Golodirsen in Non-Ambulant Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT05412394PHASE4RECRUITINGOnce Weekly Infant Corticosteroid Trial for DMD
NCT06713135PHASE4ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGA Study on Safety and Effectiveness of Long-term Treatment With Vamorolone in Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT07542314PHASE4NOT_YET_RECRUITINGStudy to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of ELEVIDYS in Participants With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Treated in a Post-Marketing Setting
NCT00004646PHASE3COMPLETEDPhase III Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Prednisone for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT00110669PHASE3COMPLETEDHigh-dose Prednisone in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT00308113PHASE3TERMINATEDCoQ10 and Prednisone in Non-Ambulatory DMD
NCT00839033PHASE3TERMINATEDEvaluation of a Mechanical Device During Acute Respiratory Failure in Patients With Neuromuscular Disorders
NCT01247207PHASE3COMPLETEDStudy of Ataluren in Previously Treated Participants With Nonsense Mutation Dystrophinopathy (nmDBMD)
NCT01557400PHASE3COMPLETEDStudy of Ataluren for Previously Treated Participants With Nonsense Mutation Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy (nmDBMD) in Europe, Israel, Australia, and Canada
NCT01603407PHASE3COMPLETEDFinding the Optimum Regimen for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT01648634PHASE3COMPLETEDNebivolol for the Prevention of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT02255552PHASE3COMPLETEDStudy of Eteplirsen in DMD Patients
NCT02354352PHASE3COMPLETEDTherapeutic Potential for Aldosterone Inhibition in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT02500381PHASE3COMPLETEDStudy of SRP-4045 (Casimersen) and SRP-4053 (Golodirsen) in Participants With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
NCT02814019PHASE3TERMINATEDA Phase III Double-blind Study With Idebenone in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Taking Glucocorticoid Steroids
NCT02851797PHASE3COMPLETEDClinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Givinostat in Ambulant Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT03354039PHASE3COMPLETEDTamoxifen in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT03532542PHASE3TERMINATEDAn Extension Study to Evaluate Casimersen or Golodirsen in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT03603288PHASE3TERMINATEDPhase III Study With Idebenone in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (SIDEROS-E)
NCT03642145PHASE3WITHDRAWNA Study of Deflazacort (Emflaza®) in Participants With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
NCT03917719PHASE3TERMINATEDAn Open-Label Extension Study of Edasalonexent in Boys With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT04060199PHASE3COMPLETEDStudy to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Viltolarsen in Ambulant Boys With DMD (RACER53)
NCT04281485PHASE3ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGStudy to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of PF-06939926 for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT04371666PHASE3TERMINATEDPhase 3 Trial of Pamrevlumab or Placebo With Systemic Corticosteroids in Participants With Non-ambulatory Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
NCT04587908PHASE3ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGA Phase 3 Study of TAS-205 in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy(REACH-DMD)
NCT04632940PHASE3TERMINATEDPhase 3 Trial of Pamrevlumab or Placebo in Combination With Systemic Corticosteroids in Participants With Ambulatory DMD
NCT04768062PHASE3UNKNOWNStudy to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Viltolarsen in Ambulant Boys With DMD (RACER53-X)
NCT05096221PHASE3COMPLETEDA Gene Transfer Therapy Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Delandistrogene Moxeparvovec (SRP-9001) in Participants With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
NCT05689164PHASE3TERMINATEDA Study to Understand the Long-term Safety and Effects of an Experimental Gene Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
NCT05881408PHASE3ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGA Gene Transfer Therapy Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Delandistrogene Moxeparvovec (SRP-9001) in Non-Ambulatory and Ambulatory Participants With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
NCT05933057PHASE3RECRUITINGEfficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Givinostat in Non-ambulant Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
NCT05967351PHASE3ENROLLING_BY_INVITATIONA Long-term Follow-up Study of Participants Who Received Delandistrogene Moxeparvovec (SRP-9001) in a Previous Clinical Study
NCT07160634PHASE3RECRUITINGA Study of SGT-003 Gene Therapy in Ambulant Males With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (IMPACT DUCHENNE)
NCT07587242PHASE3NOT_YET_RECRUITINGA Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of AOC 1044 (Also Referred to as Delpacibart Zotadirsen) in Participants With DMD With Gene Mutations Amenable to Exon 44 Skipping
  • Disease cohort memberships (association, not causation — diseases whose associated-gene cohort lists this gene; a subset are also under Associated diseases): Duchenne muscular dystrophy