Charged multivesicular body protein 2a

CHMP2A (Charged multivesicular body protein 2a) is a core component of the ESCRT-III complex, which mediates multivesicular body (MVB) formation and cargo sorting into intraluminal vesicles for lysosomal degradation (UniProt: O43633). The protein functions in endosomal trafficking pathways and also participates in cytokinesis, nuclear envelope sealing, and mitotic spindle disassembly during late mitosis. Beyond its canonical role in membrane protein degradation, CHMP2A is implicated in HIV-1 budding and other viral membrane fission events.

CHMP2A is broadly expressed and involved in fundamental cellular processes governing membrane dynamics and organellar biogenesis. No primary disease associations are documented in UniProt, though ESCRT dysfunction has been linked to neurodegeneration in broader mechanistic studies.

In Alzheimer's disease, CHMP2A is significantly downregulated in post-mortem AD brain tissue relative to age-matched controls (mean log2FC −0.68; Chaparral AD proteomics). This reduction in ESCRT-III component abundance may impair endosomal sorting and lysosomal clearance pathways critical for neuronal homeostasis, potentially contributing to amyloid and tau accumulation in AD pathogenesis.