Calb2 Gene is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.
:: infobox .infobox-gene
Symbol: CALB2
Full Name: Calretinin
Chromosomal Location: 16q22.2
NCBI Gene ID: 794
OMIM: 114105
Ensembl ID: ENSG00000171331
UniProt: P22676
Proteins: Calretinin
Associated Diseases: Alzheimer's Disease, Schizophrenia, Mesial Temporal Sclerosis
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CALB2 is a gene/protein encoding a key neuronal protein involved in synaptic function, signal transduction, and cellular homeostasis. Dysfunction of CALB2 is associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders.
CALB2 encodes calretinin, a calcium-binding protein of the EF-hand family. Calretinin is expressed in specific neuronal populations and is considered a neuroprotective molecule due to its calcium-buffering capacity. It is used as a marker for certain interneuron subtypes and is altered in various neurological disorders.
Calretinin is expressed in:
- Cerebral cortex (interneurons, layer 2/3)
- Hippocampus (interneurons in CA1-CA3)
- Cerebellum (granule cells, some interneurons)
- Thalamus
- Retina
- Dorsal root ganglia
Distinct expression pattern from calbindin marks different neuronal populations.
- Andressen C, et al. (1993). "Calretinin: a calcium-binding protein in neurons." Cell Tissue Res. PMID:7686923
- Barinka F, et al. (2012). "Calretinin in neurodegenerative diseases." J Neurol Sci. PMID:21978414
- Schwaller B, et al. (2002). "The calcium-binding protein calretinin: structure, functions, and pathology." Prog Histochem Cytochem. PMID:12030294
The study of Calb2 Gene has evolved significantly over the past decades. Research in this area has revealed important insights into the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration and continues to drive therapeutic development.
Historical context and key discoveries in this field have shaped our current understanding and will continue to guide future research directions.
- Jin H et al.. "Top-Down Control of Sweet and Bitter Taste in the Mammalian Brain." Cell (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.12.014 PubMed: 33417862
- Siebald C et al.. "Molecular signatures define subtypes of auditory afferents with distinct peripheral projection patterns and physiological properties." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217033120 PubMed: 37487063
- Rozycka A, Liguz-Lecznar M. "The space where aging acts: focus on the GABAergic synapse." Aging cell (2017). DOI: 10.1111/acel.12605 PubMed: 28497576
- Matthews EA et al.. "RNA-programmable cell-type monitoring and manipulation in the human cortex with CellREADR." Cell reports (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116037 PubMed: 40700016
- Wong NF et al.. "Convergence of Type 1 Spiral Ganglion Neuron Subtypes onto Principal Neurons of the Anteroventral Cochlear Nucleus." J Neurosci (2025). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1507-24.2024 PubMed: 39663118
- Maksimova MA et al.. "Interneuron Functional Diversity in the Mouse Accessory Olfactory Bulb." eNeuro (2019). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0058-19.2019 PubMed: 31358509
- Navarro-Gonzalez C et al.. "Nrg1 haploinsufficiency alters inhibitory cortical circuits." Neurobiology of disease (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105442 PubMed: 34246770
- Al-Jaberi N et al.. "The early fetal development of human neocortical GABAergic interneurons." Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) (2015). DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht254 PubMed: 24047602