ARC Gene: Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein

ARC (Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein) is a protein-coding gene involved in synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation, and memory formation. It encodes a protein that regulates AMPA receptor trafficking and actin cytoskeleton dynamics in neurons.

Gene Information Card

Symbol ARC
Full Name Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein
Gene Type Protein-coding
Chromosomal Location 8q24.3
NCBI Gene ID 23237 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/23237
Ensembl ID ENSG00000198576
UniProt ID Q7LC44
OMIM ID 612461
HGNC ID HGNC:24068
Aliases ARG3.1, KIAA0278

Description

The ARC gene encodes the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein, a member of the immediate-early gene family that is rapidly induced by neuronal activity. ARC protein is localized to the postsynaptic density and plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity by regulating AMPA receptor endocytosis and trafficking. It is essential for long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), and memory consolidation. ARC is also involved in actin cytoskeleton remodeling at synapses.

Disease Associations

Disease category Pathophysiological mechanism Genomic evidence
Intellectual Disability Loss-of-function mutations in ARC impair synaptic plasticity and AMPA receptor trafficking, leading to cognitive deficits. ClinVar, OMIM
Autism Spectrum Disorder ARC variants may disrupt synaptic signaling and neuronal connectivity, contributing to ASD pathogenesis. ClinVar, NCBI
Schizophrenia Altered ARC expression is associated with synaptic dysfunction and glutamate signaling abnormalities in schizophrenia. NCBI, OMIM
Alzheimer's Disease Reduced ARC levels are linked to synaptic loss and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. NCBI, OMIM

Expression Profile

Tissue Expression
Tissue nTPM level
Brain 45.2 High
Cerebral Cortex 52.1 High
Hippocampus 48.7 High
Cerebellum 30.5 Medium
Testis 8.3 Low
Heart 2.1 Not detected
Cell Line Expression
Cell Line nTPM Notes
SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) 35.6 High expression; used in neuronal differentiation studies
SK-N-SH (neuroblastoma) 28.4 Moderate expression
HEK293 (embryonic kidney) 1.2 Low expression; not neuronal
HeLa (cervical carcinoma) 0.8 Not detected
Data source:Human Protein Atlas(proteinatlas.org)

Mutations & Variants

Hotspot Mutations
Variant Type Frequency Functional Description
c.2T>C (p.Met1?) Missense Rare Loss of start codon; likely loss of function
c.166C>T (p.Arg56*) Nonsense Rare Premature stop; loss of function
c.434G>A (p.Arg145Gln) Missense Rare Impaired AMPA receptor binding; dominant negative effect
c.637_639del (p.Lys213del) In-frame deletion Rare Altered protein stability; loss of function
Mutation functional classification

Loss of Function (LOF)

Nonsense and frameshift mutations leading to truncated or unstable ARC protein, impairing synaptic plasticity.

Gain of Function (GOF)

Not reported for ARC; gain-of-function mutations are not documented in current databases.

Dominant Negative (DN)

Missense mutations (e.g., p.Arg145Gln) that disrupt ARC's interaction with AMPA receptors, interfering with normal protein function.

Pathways

Synaptic plasticity pathway (Reactome: R-HSA-9627250)
AMPA receptor trafficking (Reactome: R-HSA-399719)
Long-term potentiation (KEGG: hsa04720)
Long-term depression (KEGG: hsa04730)
Glutamatergic synapse (KEGG: hsa04724)

Protein Summary

The ARC protein is a 396-amino acid, 45 kDa cytosolic protein that shuttles to the postsynaptic density in an activity-dependent manner. It contains a C-terminal domain that binds to endocytic machinery, facilitating AMPA receptor internalization. ARC also interacts with actin and regulates dendritic spine morphology. Its expression is tightly regulated by neuronal activity and is critical for synaptic plasticity and memory.

Related Products

Product name Cat.No. Species Gene ID
SMARCA1 Knockout Huh-7 Cell Line EDJ-KQ45 Human 6594 Details Get a Quote
SMARCAL1 Knockout Huh-7 Cell Line EDJ-KQ46 Human 50485 Details Get a Quote
SMARCAL1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ2082 Human 50485 Details Get a Quote
SMARCD1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ2404 Human 6602 Details Get a Quote
SPARC Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ2842 Human 6678 Details Get a Quote
MARCHF5 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDC90553 Human 54708 Details Get a Quote
MARCHF6 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ3806 Human 10299 Details Get a Quote
SMARCA1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ5054 Human 6594 Details Get a Quote
MARCKS Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ5157 Human 4082 Details Get a Quote
SPARCL1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ5522 Human 8404 Details Get a Quote
SMARCC1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ5803 Human 6599 Details Get a Quote
SMARCC2 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ5808 Human 6601 Details Get a Quote
MARCO Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ6325 Human 8685 Details Get a Quote
MARCHF3 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ7505 Human 115123 Details Get a Quote
ARC Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ7906 Human 23237 Details Get a Quote
Displaying Records 1 To 15 Of 121 Records
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