MAP4 Gene: Microtubule Associated Protein 4 - Function, Expression & Disease

MAP4 (Microtubule Associated Protein 4) is a protein-coding gene that encodes a member of the microtubule-associated protein family. The encoded protein stabilizes microtubules and promotes their assembly, playing a critical role in cell division, intracellular transport, and cytoskeletal organization. MAP4 is ubiquitously expressed and is involved in various cellular processes including mitosis and neuronal differentiation. Alterations in MAP4 expression and function have been implicated in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other disorders.

Disease category	Pathophysiological mechanism	Genomic evidence
Cancer (various types)	Altered MAP4 expression affects microtubule dynamics, influencing cell proliferation and response to chemotherapeutics like taxanes.	COSMIC, ClinVar
Neurodegenerative diseases	MAP4 dysfunction may contribute to tau pathology and microtubule destabilization in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.	OMIM, NCBI
Developmental disorders	Rare variants in MAP4 have been associated with neurodevelopmental phenotypes.	ClinVar

Microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) is a 1,152-amino acid protein that binds to and stabilizes microtubules. It contains a microtubule-binding domain and a projection domain. MAP4 is ubiquitously expressed and regulates microtubule dynamics during cell division and interphase. It interacts with tau and other MAPs, and its phosphorylation by various kinases modulates its activity. MAP4 is implicated in cancer cell resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs and in neurodegenerative tauopathies.