Glycophorin-C

Glycophorin-C (GYPC) is a minor sialoglycoprotein of the erythrocyte membrane that plays a structural role in regulating red cell stability. The protein contains the Gerbich blood group antigens and serves as a receptor for Plasmodium falciparum merozoites (UniProt: P04921). It is primarily associated with red blood cell biology and membrane organization.

Glycophorin-C has no primary disease annotations in UniProt. However, it has been identified in proteomic studies of Alzheimer's Disease brain tissue and may reflect changes in circulating or infiltrating blood cells within affected neural tissue.

In Alzheimer's Disease, Glycophorin-C shows a consistent upregulation pattern across post-mortem brain fractions (mean log2FC = 0.88) compared to age-matched controls in a TMT-labeled quantitative proteomics study of four subcellular compartments (Chaparral AD proteomics). This elevation may indicate increased blood-brain barrier permeability, microhemorrhage, or altered erythrocyte composition in AD pathology, though the underlying biological significance remains to be clarified.