CAV3

Chr 3ADDigenic dominant

caveolin 3

Also known as: LGMD1C, LQT9, MPDT, RMD2, VIP-21, VIP21

The protein functions as a scaffolding protein within caveolar membranes, directly interacting with G-protein alpha subunits to regulate their activity and facilitating sarcolemma repair in skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes. Mutations cause autosomal dominant muscular dystrophies including limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 1C, rippling muscle disease, distal myopathy, as well as cardiomyopathy and long QT syndrome. Disease predominantly occurs through gain-of-function or dominant-negative mechanisms that disrupt protein oligomerization and caveolae formation.

GeneReviewsOMIMResearchSummary from RefSeq, OMIM, UniProt, Mechanism
MultiplemechanismAD/Digenic dominantLOEUF 1.475 OMIM phenotypes
Clinical SummaryCAV3
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Gene-Disease Validity (ClinGen)
long QT syndrome · ADLimited

Limited evidence — not for standalone diagnostic reporting

2 total gene-disease associations curated

Population Constraint (gnomAD)
Low constraint (pLI 0.01) — loss-of-function variants are relatively tolerated in the population.
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ClinVar Variants
83 unique Pathogenic / Likely Pathogenic· 188 VUS of 485 total submissions
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GeneReview available — CAV3
Authoritative clinical overview · Recommended first read
Open GeneReview ↗

Population Genetics & Constraint

gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance

Tolerant — LoF & missense variants common in population
LoF Constraint
1.47LOEUF
pLI 0.005
Z-score 0.79
OE 0.66 (0.321.47)
Tolerant

Highly tolerant — LoF variants common in population

Missense Constraint
0.83Z-score
OE missense 0.76 (0.620.92)
69 obs / 91.3 exp
Tolerant

Mild missense constraint

Observed / Expected Ratios
LoF OE0.66 (0.321.47)
00.351.4
Missense OE0.76 (0.620.92)
00.61.4
Synonymous OE1.12
01.21.6
LoF obs/exp: 4 / 6.1Missense obs/exp: 69 / 91.3Syn Z: -0.58
Curated Mechanism (G2P)Gene2Phenotype (DDG2P) ↗
limitedCAV3-related long QT syndromeOTHERAD
DN
0.77top 25%
GOF
0.85top 5%
LOF
0.2288th %ile

This gene has evidence for multiple mechanisms of pathogenicity (gain-of-function, dominant-negative and loss-of-function). Both the Badonyi & Marsh prediction and the broader genomic evidence point to gain-of-function as the predominant mechanism. Different variants in this gene may act through different mechanisms — interpret in context of the specific variant.

GOFprediction above median · 1 literature citation
DNprediction above median · 1 literature citation
LOF1 literature citation

Note: In-silico variant effect predictors (SIFT, PolyPhen, REVEL, CADD) may underestimate pathogenicity of missense variants in genes with GOF or DN mechanisms. Consider functional evidence and clinical context.

Literature Evidence

DNThe novel sporadic missense mutation in the caveolin signature sequence of the caveolin-3 gene changes an alanine to a threonine (A46T) and prevents the localization of caveolin-3 to the plasma membrane in a dominant negative fashion.PMID:11001938
GOFWe recently established CAV3-encoded caveolin-3 as a novel LQTS-associated gene with mutations producing a gain-of-function, LQT3-like molecular/cellular phenotype.PMID:17275750
LOFWe used in vivo and in vitro studies to determine the effect of palmitate exposure on global insulin resistance, contractile performance of the heart in vivo, glucose uptake in the heart, and on cellular signaling downstream of theIR We show that haploinsufficiency for CAV3 increases susceptibility PMID:27033451

Predictions from Badonyi M, Marsh JA. PLoS ONE. 2024;19(8):e0307312.

ClinVar Variant Classifications

485 submitted variants in ClinVar

Classification Summary

Pathogenic69
Likely Pathogenic14
VUS188
Likely Benign116
Benign42
Conflicting34
69
Pathogenic
14
Likely Pathogenic
188
VUS
116
Likely Benign
42
Benign
34
Conflicting

Curated Variants Distribution

Classified variants from ClinVar · 5 ACMG categories

ClassificationLoFMissense + InframeNon-codingSynonymousTotal
Pathogenic
5
10
54
0
69
Likely Pathogenic
3
8
3
0
14
VUS
7
147
34
0
188
Likely Benign
0
3
39
74
116
Benign
0
0
42
0
42
Conflicting
34
Total1516817274463

LoF = frameshift, stop gained/lost, canonical splice · Counts from ClinVar esearch · Updated hourly

View in ClinVar →

Protein Context — Lollipop Plot

CAV3 · protein map & ClinVar variants

Showing all ClinVar variants across the protein. Search a specific variant to highlight its position.

3D Protein StructureAlphaFold

Clinical Trials

Active and recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov

No active trials found for this gene.

Search ClinicalTrials.gov →
Clinical Literature
Open Research Assistant →