SYNE4

gene
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Also known as FLJ36445Nesprin-4Nesp4

Summary

SYNE4 (spectrin repeat containing nuclear envelope family member 4, HGNC:26703) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 19q13.12, encoding Nesprin-4 (Q8N205). As a component of the LINC (LInker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex, involved in the connection between the nuclear lamina and the cytoskeleton.

This gene is a member of the nesprin family of genes, that encode KASH (Klarsicht, Anc-1, Syne Homology) domain-containing proteins. In addition to the KASH domain, this protein also contains a coiled-coil and leucine zipper region, a spectrin repeat, and a kinesin-1 binding region. This protein localizes to the outer nuclear membrane, and is part of the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex in the nuclear envelope. LINC complexes are formed by SUN (Sad1, UNC-84)-KASH pairs, and are thought to mechanically couple nuclear components to the cytoskeleton. Mutations in this gene have been associated with progressive high-frequency hearing loss. The absence of this protein in mice also caused hearing loss, and changes in hair cell morphology in the ears. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.

Source: NCBI Gene 163183 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Gene–disease (curated): autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 76 (Strong, GenCC) — +2 more curated relationships
  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 365 total — 20 pathogenic, 14 likely-pathogenic
  • Phenotypes (HPO): 5
  • Dosage sensitivity (ClinGen): haploinsufficiency autosomal recessive, triplosensitivity no evidence
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_001039876

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:26703
Approved symbolSYNE4
Namespectrin repeat containing nuclear envelope family member 4
Location19q13.12
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
AliasesFLJ36445, Nesprin-4, Nesp4
Ensembl geneENSG00000181392
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM615535
Entrez163183

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 35 — 33 protein_coding, 2 retained_intron

ENST00000324444, ENST00000340477, ENST00000397428, ENST00000465425, ENST00000490730, ENST00000503121, ENST00000505054, ENST00000871995, ENST00000871996, ENST00000871997, ENST00000871998, ENST00000871999, ENST00000872000, ENST00000872001, ENST00000872002, ENST00000872003, ENST00000872004, ENST00000872005, ENST00000872006, ENST00000872007, ENST00000872008, ENST00000872009, ENST00000872010, ENST00000872011, ENST00000921831, ENST00000921832, ENST00000921833, ENST00000921834, ENST00000921835, ENST00000921836, ENST00000921837, ENST00000921838, ENST00000921839, ENST00000921840, ENST00000952118

RefSeq mRNA: 2 — MANE Select: NM_001039876 NM_001039876, NM_001297735

CCDS: CCDS42553, CCDS77285

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000324444 — 8 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE000021853463600642336006671
ENSE000035402503600533336005437
ENSE000035419473600361336003671
ENSE000035997573600712536007268
ENSE000036053853600821736008367
ENSE000036858883600675036006944
ENSE000038174863600330736003520
ENSE000038438093600855436008813

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth ubiquitous, 167 present calls, max score 89.09.

FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth broad, TPM avg 2.8073 / max 51.9652, expressed in 393 samples.

FANTOM5 promoters (1 alternative TSS)

Promoter IDTPM avgSamples expressed
1806142.8073393

Top tissues by expression

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

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
pancreatic ductal cellCL:000207989.09silver quality
cerebellar cortexUBERON:000212987.63gold quality
cerebellar hemisphereUBERON:000224587.62gold quality
pituitary glandUBERON:000000787.39gold quality
cerebellumUBERON:000203787.10gold quality
right hemisphere of cerebellumUBERON:001489086.75gold quality
adenohypophysisUBERON:000219686.54gold quality
primordial germ cell in gonadCL:0000670 ∩ UBERON:000099185.24gold quality
right lobe of liverUBERON:000111484.70gold quality
left lobe of thyroid glandUBERON:000112083.90gold quality
right lobe of thyroid glandUBERON:000111983.76gold quality
thyroid glandUBERON:000204683.21gold quality
parotid glandUBERON:000183182.93gold quality
cerebellar vermisUBERON:000472082.53gold quality
nasal cavity epitheliumUBERON:000538481.64gold quality
kidney epitheliumUBERON:000481981.58gold quality
prostate glandUBERON:000236781.34gold quality
right uterine tubeUBERON:000130281.03gold quality
metanephros cortexUBERON:001053379.54gold quality
saliva-secreting glandUBERON:000104478.81gold quality
minor salivary glandUBERON:000183078.06gold quality
liverUBERON:000210777.94gold quality
tibialis anteriorUBERON:000138577.90silver quality
olfactory segment of nasal mucosaUBERON:000538677.80gold quality
islet of LangerhansUBERON:000000677.73gold quality
ileal mucosaUBERON:000033177.45gold quality
oviduct epitheliumUBERON:000480477.41gold quality
adult mammalian kidneyUBERON:000008277.39gold quality
body of pancreasUBERON:000115076.68gold quality
pancreasUBERON:000126476.55gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 2 experiment(s), a significant marker in 1.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-ANND-3yes8.46
E-GEOD-110499no12.71

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

Functional genomics

ClinGen dosage: haploinsufficiency 30 (autosomal recessive), triplosensitivity 0 (no evidence). ClinGen Gene Dosage Map

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 1)

  • progressive high-frequency hearing loss in 2 families of Iraqi Jewish ancestry was due to homozygosity for mutation SYNE4 c.228delAT. SYNE4, a gene not previously associated with hearing loss, encodes nesprin-4, a protein expressed in outer hair cells. (PMID:23348741)

Cross-species orthologs

2 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
mus_musculusSyne4ENSMUSG00000019737
rattus_norvegicusSyne4ENSRNOG00000049277

Protein

Protein identifiers

Nesprin-4Q8N205 (reviewed: Q8N205)

Alternative names: KASH domain-containing protein 4, Nuclear envelope spectrin repeat protein 4

All UniProt accessions (4): D6RAE3, Q8N205, H0Y9Z1, H9KVA3

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. As a component of the LINC (LInker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex, involved in the connection between the nuclear lamina and the cytoskeleton. The nucleocytoplasmic interactions established by the LINC complex play an important role in the transmission of mechanical forces across the nuclear envelope and in nuclear movement and positioning. Behaves as a kinesin cargo, providing a functional binding site for kinesin-1 at the nuclear envelope. Hence may contribute to the establishment of secretory epithelial morphology by promoting kinesin-dependent apical migration of the centrosome and Golgi apparatus and basal localization of the nucleus.

Subunit / interactions. Core component of LINC complexes which are composed of inner nuclear membrane SUN domain-containing proteins coupled to outer nuclear membrane KASH domain-containing nesprins. SUN and KASH domain-containing proteins seem to bind each other promiscuously; however, differentially expression of LINC complex constituents can give rise to specific assemblies. Probably part of a SUN1-containing LINC complex. Interacts with kinesins KIF5B and KLC1.

Subcellular location. Nucleus outer membrane.

Post-translational modifications. The disulfid bond with SUN1 or SUN2 is required for stability of the respective LINC complex under tensile forces.

Disease relevance. Deafness, autosomal recessive, 76 (DFNB76) [MIM:615540] A form of non-syndromic sensorineural deafness, a disorder resulting from damage to the neural receptors of the inner ear, the nerve pathways to the brain, or the area of the brain that receives sound information. DFNB76 affected individuals have onset of progressive high frequency hearing impairment between birth and 6 years of age. The hearing loss is severe at high frequencies by adulthood. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry.

Domain organisation. The KASH domain, which contains a transmembrane domain, mediates the nuclear envelope targeting and is involved in the binding to SUN1 and SUN2 through recognition of their SUN domains.

Similarity. Belongs to the nesprin family.

Isoforms (2)

UniProt IDNamesCanonical?
Q8N205-11yes
Q8N205-22

RefSeq proteins (2): NP_001034965, NP_001284664 (=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR012315KASHDomain
IPR030268SYNE4Family

Pfam: PF10541

UniProt features (15 total): topological domain 2, disulfide bond 2, sequence variant 2, region of interest 2, compositionally biased region 2, chain 1, splice variant 1, strand 1, transmembrane region 1, domain 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

2 structures.

PDBMethodResolution (Å)
6WMDX-RAY DIFFRACTION1.5
6R16X-RAY DIFFRACTION2.75

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-Q8N205-F157.880.14

Functional residue map

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

Disulfide bonds (2): 381, 381

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

0 pathways

MSigDB gene sets: 77 (showing top): GOBP_MORPHOGENESIS_OF_AN_EPITHELIUM, TGGTGCT_MIR29A_MIR29B_MIR29C, GOBP_EPITHELIUM_DEVELOPMENT, GOBP_ESTABLISHMENT_OR_MAINTENANCE_OF_MONOPOLAR_CELL_POLARITY, GOBP_ESTABLISHMENT_OR_MAINTENANCE_OF_CELL_POLARITY, GOBP_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_EPITHELIAL_CELL_POLARITY, GOBP_ESTABLISHMENT_OF_CELL_POLARITY, GOBP_POLARIZED_EPITHELIAL_CELL_DIFFERENTIATION, HNF1_C, GOBP_MORPHOGENESIS_OF_A_POLARIZED_EPITHELIUM, GOBP_ESTABLISHMENT_OR_MAINTENANCE_OF_BIPOLAR_CELL_POLARITY, GOBP_TISSUE_MORPHOGENESIS, GOCC_NUCLEAR_ENVELOPE, GOCC_NUCLEAR_OUTER_MEMBRANE, CHARAFE_BREAST_CANCER_LUMINAL_VS_MESENCHYMAL_UP

GO Biological Process (1): establishment of epithelial cell apical/basal polarity (GO:0045198)

GO Molecular Function (1): protein binding (GO:0005515)

GO Cellular Component (5): nuclear outer membrane (GO:0005640), meiotic nuclear membrane microtubule tethering complex (GO:0034993), nucleus (GO:0005634), nuclear envelope (GO:0005635), membrane (GO:0016020)

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
polarized epithelial cell differentiation1
establishment of apical/basal cell polarity1
establishment or maintenance of epithelial cell apical/basal polarity1
establishment of epithelial cell polarity1
binding1
nuclear membrane1
organelle outer membrane1
nuclear outer membrane-endoplasmic reticulum membrane network1
microtubule organizing center attachment site1
nuclear membrane microtubule tethering complex1
intracellular membrane-bounded organelle1
nucleus1
endomembrane system1
organelle envelope1
cellular anatomical structure1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

446 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
SYNE4SYNE3Q6ZMZ3916
SYNE4KIF5BP33176894
SYNE4KASH5Q8N6L0878
SYNE4SYNE1Q8NF91869
SYNE4SUN1O94901855
SYNE4SUN2Q9UH99846
SYNE4PLECQ15149837
SYNE4SYNE2Q8WXH0668
SYNE4EMDP50402643
SYNE4SUN3Q8TAQ9624
SYNE4IRAG2Q12912624
SYNE4SPAG4Q9NPE6587
SYNE4SUN5Q8TC36583
SYNE4KLC2Q9H0B6582
SYNE4KLC3Q6P597574

IntAct

170 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
SUN2SYNE4psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.710
OCLNSYNE4psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
SYNE4CLEC7Apsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
SYNE4CSGALNACT2psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
KLC4SYNE4psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
SYNE4VTI1Bpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
CLEC7ASYNE4psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
SYNE4OCLNpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.670
SUN1SYNE4psi-mi:“MI:0407”(direct interaction)0.650

BioGRID (175): SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid), SYNE4 (Two-hybrid)

ESM2 similar proteins: A0A096LP49, A0A8V8TNH8, A0A8V8TPE2, A1L443, A2IDD5, A5D7L8, A6NDY2, A6NIJ5, A6NNJ1, A6NNL0, A7E346, A8K0R7, A8MXJ8, A8MXZ1, B1AL46, B1ASB6, C9JSJ3, E9PGG2, O08574, P0C7V4, P0C7W8, P0C7X0, P0CG20, P0DV73, P0DV75, P0DV76, Q0VG99, Q0ZCJ7, Q149B8, Q2M3G4, Q3TQ03, Q3V0C3, Q4KLY2, Q5JXC2, Q5RCJ6, Q5SV97, Q5SW24, Q5VT03, Q5VZR2, Q6ZMY3

Diamond homologs: Q5M844, Q8CII8, Q8N205

SIGNOR signaling

1 interactions.

AEffectBMechanism
SYNE4“form complex”“LINC complex”binding

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

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

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic20
Likely pathogenic14
Uncertain significance104
Likely benign167
Benign16

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (30)

Variant IDHGVSClassification
2445666NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.336C>A (p.Cys112Ter)Pathogenic
2694675NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.89del (p.Gly30fs)Pathogenic
2732773NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.707G>A (p.Trp236Ter)Pathogenic
2736873NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.129-1G>TPathogenic
2753737NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.400C>T (p.Gln134Ter)Pathogenic
2762575NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.249C>G (p.Tyr83Ter)Pathogenic
2773052NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.155_209del (p.Gln52fs)Pathogenic
2799588NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.493del (p.Ala165fs)Pathogenic
2808646NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.828_829del (p.Cys276fs)Pathogenic
2825620NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.249del (p.Ser82_Tyr83insTer)Pathogenic
2834024NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.361C>T (p.Gln121Ter)Pathogenic
2855771NM_001297735.3(SYNE4):c.280-273delPathogenic
2878825NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.46del (p.Leu16fs)Pathogenic
2899915NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.832C>T (p.Gln278Ter)Pathogenic
2982109NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.853G>T (p.Gly285Ter)Pathogenic
2989159NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.889C>T (p.Arg297Ter)Pathogenic
3012557NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.678G>A (p.Trp226Ter)Pathogenic
4536658NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.742del (p.Glu248fs)Pathogenic
4731729NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.415del (p.Gln139fs)Pathogenic
504047NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.511_526del (p.Arg171fs)Pathogenic
1723402NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.377del (p.Gly126fs)Likely pathogenic
228292NM_001039876.1(SYNE4):c.(?1)(1215_?)delLikely pathogenic
2445877NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.653T>A (p.Leu218Ter)Likely pathogenic
2501099NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.973-2A>TLikely pathogenic
2775787NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.618+1G>ALikely pathogenic
2834704NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.868-2A>GLikely pathogenic
3010424NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.972+2T>ALikely pathogenic
3020134NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.618+2T>ALikely pathogenic
3583760NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.972+2T>GLikely pathogenic
3583761NM_001039876.3(SYNE4):c.742dup (p.Glu248fs)Likely pathogenic

SpliceAI

1120 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
19:36005328:CTCA:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36005330:CA:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36005331:ACCTG:Adonor_loss1.0000
19:36005332:C:CTdonor_loss1.0000
19:36005438:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36005439:T:Cacceptor_loss1.0000
19:36005447:C:CTacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36005448:A:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36005451:A:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36006606:T:TAdonor_gain1.0000
19:36006625:C:CAdonor_gain1.0000
19:36006744:CCCTA:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36006746:CTACC:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36006747:TACCA:Tdonor_loss1.0000
19:36006748:A:ACdonor_gain1.0000
19:36006748:A:Tdonor_loss1.0000
19:36006749:C:CCdonor_gain1.0000
19:36006749:CCAGG:Cdonor_gain1.0000
19:36006759:G:Cdonor_gain1.0000
19:36007120:CCTA:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36007121:CTA:Cdonor_loss1.0000
19:36007122:TACCT:Tdonor_loss1.0000
19:36007264:GGGTG:Gacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36007265:GGTG:Gacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36007266:GTGC:Gacceptor_loss1.0000
19:36007267:TG:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36007268:GC:Gacceptor_loss1.0000
19:36007269:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
19:36007269:CTGGG:Cacceptor_loss1.0000
19:36007364:T:TAdonor_gain1.0000

AlphaMissense

2560 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

VariantProtein changeam_pathogenicity
19:36006543:C:AW249C0.970
19:36006543:C:GW249C0.970
19:36006545:A:GW249R0.959
19:36006545:A:TW249R0.959
19:36006888:A:CF160L0.941
19:36006888:A:TF160L0.941
19:36006890:A:GF160L0.941
19:36006928:A:GL147P0.876
19:36006778:A:GL197P0.859
19:36006795:G:CF191L0.852
19:36006795:G:TF191L0.852
19:36006797:A:GF191L0.852
19:36006544:C:AW249L0.844
19:36006544:C:GW249S0.843
19:36006787:A:GL194P0.835
19:36006541:T:CD250G0.829
19:36006917:C:GA151P0.818
19:36006766:A:GL201P0.798
19:36007210:A:GL113P0.794
19:36006540:A:CD250E0.791
19:36006540:A:TD250E0.791
19:36006541:T:GD250A0.783
19:36006666:G:CF208L0.776
19:36006666:G:TF208L0.776
19:36006668:A:GF208L0.776
19:36006783:C:AW195C0.770
19:36006783:C:GW195C0.770
19:36006889:A:CF160C0.763
19:36006898:A:GL157P0.763
19:36006542:C:GD250H0.753

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000037235 (19:36003199 T>C), RS1000461148 (19:36007761 C>A,T), RS1000743169 (19:36008034 G>A), RS1001819024 (19:36005293 A>G), RS1002151520 (19:36009655 A>C,G), RS1002221880 (19:36009405 G>A), RS1002471963 (19:36005059 G>A), RS1002753584 (19:36005330 C>T), RS1003735788 (19:36002840 A>C), RS1004037479 (19:36009959 G>A), RS1004936195 (19:36005751 G>C), RS1005008642 (19:36005510 T>A), RS1005063018 (19:36005227 T>G), RS1005108943 (19:36005030 G>A), RS1005360949 (19:36010294 T>A,C)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:615535 | disease phenotypes: MIM:615540

GenCC curated gene-disease

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 76StrongAutosomal recessive
nonsyndromic genetic hearing lossModerateAutosomal recessive
hearing loss, autosomal recessiveSupportiveAutosomal recessive

ClinGen Gene-Disease Validity (1)

Expert-panel classifications — Definitive > Strong > Moderate > Limited > Disputed > Refuted.

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
nonsyndromic genetic hearing lossModerateAR

Mondo (3): autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss 76 (MONDO:0014237), nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss (MONDO:0019497), hearing loss, autosomal recessive (MONDO:0019588)

Orphanet (3): Rare autosomal recessive non-syndromic sensorineural deafness type DFNB (Orphanet:90636), Rare non-syndromic genetic deafness (Orphanet:87884), Rare genetic deafness (Orphanet:96210)

HPO phenotypes

5 total (5 of 5 shown, HPO-id order):

HPOTerm
HP:0000007Autosomal recessive inheritance
HP:0000408Progressive sensorineural hearing impairment
HP:0003577Congenital onset
HP:0003593Infantile onset
HP:0011463Childhood onset

GWAS associations

0 associations (top):

MeSH disease descriptors (2)

DescriptorNameTree numbers
C564609Deafness, Autosomal Recessive (supp.)
C580334Nonsyndromic Deafness (supp.)

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: no

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

CTD chemical–gene interactions

19 total (human), top 19 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
Nickeldecreases expression2
Valproic Acidaffects expression, decreases expression2
Cyclosporinedecreases expression2
Aflatoxin B1decreases expression, increases methylation2
aristolochic acid Iincreases expression1
sodium arsenateincreases abundance, increases expression1
benzo(e)pyreneincreases methylation1
K 7174decreases expression1
abrineincreases expression1
jinfukangaffects cotreatment, decreases expression1
Arsenicincreases abundance, increases expression1
Benzo(a)pyreneaffects methylation, decreases methylation1
Carbamazepineaffects expression1
Cisplatinaffects cotreatment, decreases expression1
Methapyrileneincreases methylation1
Quercetindecreases expression1
Tetrachlorodibenzodioxindecreases expression1
Urethanedecreases expression1
Gold Compoundsincreases expression1

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

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

TrialPhaseStatusTitle
NCT01802190Not specifiedTERMINATEDPrevalence of POU4F3 and SLC17A8 Mutations