CLIP-associating protein 1

CLASP1 (CLIP-associating protein 1) is a microtubule plus-end tracking protein that stabilizes dynamic microtubules and promotes their nucleation from the trans-Golgi network (UniProt: Q7Z460). It plays roles in cytoplasmic microtubule organization during cell migration and in kinetochore function during mitosis, with activity regulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling.

CLASP1 is ubiquitously expressed across tissues and functions in cytoskeletal dynamics and cell division. UniProt records no primary disease associations for this protein, though its role in microtubule stability links it broadly to processes requiring intact cytoskeletal organization.

In Alzheimer's disease, CLASP1 is significantly downregulated in post-mortem AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls (mean log2FC = −0.9602; Chaparral AD proteomics). This reduction was detected in one subcellular fraction from a TMT-labeled proteomics experiment examining four fractions. The downregulation of this microtubule-stabilizing protein may reflect broader AD-associated cytoskeletal dysregulation and impaired neuronal transport or structural integrity.