EXT1 Gene: Exostosin Glycosyltransferase 1

EXT1 encodes a glycosyltransferase essential for heparan sulfate synthesis; mutations cause hereditary multiple exostoses and contribute to cancer.

Gene Information Card

Symbol EXT1
Full Name Exostosin Glycosyltransferase 1
Gene Type Protein coding
Chromosomal Location 8q24.11
NCBI Gene ID 2131 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2131
Ensembl ID ENSG00000182197
UniProt ID Q16394
OMIM ID 608177
HGNC ID 3512
Aliases EXT, LGCR, TRPS2, hereditary multiple exostoses type 1

Description

The EXT1 gene encodes exostosin glycosyltransferase 1, a type II transmembrane glycoprotein localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. It functions as a glycosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate, a key component of the extracellular matrix and cell surface proteoglycans. EXT1 forms a hetero-oligomeric complex with EXT2 to catalyze the polymerization of heparan sulfate chains. Mutations in EXT1 lead to hereditary multiple exostoses (HME), an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple benign bone tumors (osteochondromas). Loss of EXT1 function also contributes to malignant transformation, particularly in chondrosarcoma and other cancers.

Disease Associations

Disease category Pathophysiological mechanism Genomic evidence
Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) Loss-of-function mutations in EXT1 impair heparan sulfate synthesis, leading to abnormal bone growth and osteochondroma formation. OMIM: 133700; ClinVar: pathogenic variants
Chondrosarcoma Somatic mutations or loss of heterozygosity at EXT1 locus in osteochondromas can lead to malignant progression. COSMIC: mutations in cancer samples; studies show EXT1 loss in chondrosarcoma
Osteochondroma (sporadic) Somatic EXT1 mutations or deletions in cartilage cap cells cause benign tumor formation. ClinVar: somatic variants; literature evidence
Multiple osteochondromas (MO) Same as HME; EXT1 mutations account for ~70% of cases. OMIM: 133700; HGNC: 3512

Expression Profile

Tissue Expression
Tissue nTPM level
Liver 12.5 Medium
Kidney 10.2 Medium
Brain 8.4 Low
Lung 7.1 Low
Heart 6.3 Low
Skeletal muscle 5.0 Low
Cell Line Expression
Cell Line nTPM Notes
HepG2 15.3 Hepatocellular carcinoma cell line; high expression
A549 9.8 Lung carcinoma; moderate expression
MCF7 7.2 Breast adenocarcinoma; low expression
K562 6.5 Chronic myeloid leukemia; low expression
Data source:Human Protein Atlas(proteinatlas.org)

Mutations & Variants

Hotspot Mutations
Variant Type Frequency Functional Description
c.1465delT (p.Ser489Profs*23) Frameshift Rare (found in HME families) Loss of function; truncated protein
c.1030C>T (p.Arg344*) Nonsense Rare Premature stop; loss of function
c.1171G>A (p.Gly391Arg) Missense Rare Impaired glycosyltransferase activity
c.1550T>C (p.Leu517Pro) Missense Rare Altered protein folding; loss of function
Whole gene deletion Copy number loss Rare Loss of heterozygosity; tumor suppressor inactivation
Mutation functional classification

Loss of Function (LOF)

Most EXT1 mutations are loss-of-function, leading to haploinsufficiency or complete loss of glycosyltransferase activity, resulting in reduced heparan sulfate synthesis.

Gain of Function (GOF)

No gain-of-function mutations have been reported for EXT1; all pathogenic variants are loss-of-function.

Dominant Negative (DN)

Some missense mutations may exert a dominant-negative effect by disrupting the EXT1-EXT2 complex, but evidence is limited; most cases are due to haploinsufficiency.

Pathways

Heparan sulfate biosynthesis (Reactome: R-HSA-2024096)
Glycosaminoglycan metabolism (KEGG: hsa00532)
Proteoglycans in cancer (KEGG: hsa05205)

Protein Summary

Exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 (EXT1) is a 746-amino acid type II transmembrane protein with a molecular weight of ~85 kDa. It localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, where it forms a heterodimeric complex with EXT2 to catalyze the alternating addition of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine residues to growing heparan sulfate chains. EXT1 is essential for normal skeletal development and acts as a tumor suppressor in bone and cartilage. Its structure includes a cytoplasmic N-terminus, a transmembrane domain, and a large luminal catalytic domain. Mutations that disrupt its enzymatic activity lead to hereditary multiple exostoses and increase cancer risk.

Related Products

Product name Cat.No. Species Gene ID
EXT1 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line EDJ-KQ3290 Human 2131 Details Get a Quote
EXT1 Knockout A-549 Cell Line EDJ-KQ24865 Human 2131 Details Get a Quote
EXT1 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line EDJ-KQ24866 Human 2131 Details Get a Quote
EXT1 Knockout HeLa Cell Line EDJ-KQ24867 Human 2131 Details Get a Quote
EXT1 (p.E587=) Point Mutation in HAP1 Cell Line EDC03475 Human 2131 Details Get a Quote
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