CTCF

Chr 16AD

CCCTC-binding factor

Also known as: CFAP108, FAP108, MRD21

CTCF encodes a chromatin binding factor with 11 zinc finger domains that regulates 3D chromatin structure, forms chromatin loops, and controls gene expression by binding to chromatin insulators and preventing interaction between promoters and enhancers. Heterozygous mutations cause autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder. This gene is highly constrained against loss-of-function variants, indicating that such variants are likely pathogenic.

GeneReviewsOMIMResearchSummary from RefSeq, OMIM, UniProt
LOFmechanismADLOEUF 0.151 OMIM phenotype
Clinical SummaryCTCF
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Gene-Disease Validity (ClinGen)
syndromic intellectual disability · ADDefinitive

Definitive — sufficient evidence for diagnostic panels

Population Constraint (gnomAD)
Highly constrained gene — heterozygous loss-of-function variants are very rare in the population (pLI 1.00). One damaged copy is likely sufficient to cause disease.
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ClinVar Variants
121 unique Pathogenic / Likely Pathogenic· 176 VUS of 424 total submissions
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Clinical Trials
2 active or recruiting trials — potential therapeutic options may be available
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GeneReview available — CTCF
Authoritative clinical overview · Recommended first read
Open GeneReview ↗

Population Genetics & Constraint

gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance

Dual constrained — LoF & missense intolerant
LoF Constraint
0.15LOEUF
pLI 1.000
Z-score 5.08
OE 0.03 (0.010.15)
Highly constrained

Among the most LoF-intolerant genes (~top 3%)

Missense Constraint
4.44Z-score
OE missense 0.40 (0.350.45)
174 obs / 434.4 exp
Constrained

Highly missense-constrained (top ~0.1%)

Observed / Expected Ratios
LoF OE0.03 (0.010.15)
00.351.4
Missense OE0.40 (0.350.45)
00.61.4
Synonymous OE1.14
01.21.6
LoF obs/exp: 1 / 32.0Missense obs/exp: 174 / 434.4Syn Z: -1.36
Curated Mechanism (G2P)Gene2Phenotype (DDG2P) ↗
definitiveCTCF-related intellectual disabilityLOFAD
DN
0.2997th %ile
GOF
0.2796th %ile
LOF
0.84top 5%

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

LOFprediction above median · 1 literature citation · 42% of P/LP variants are LoF · LOEUF 0.15
GOF1 literature citation

Literature Evidence

GOFOur data confirm that a spectrum of loss-, change- and gain-of-function impacts on CTCF zinc fingers are observed in cell growth regulation and gene regulatory activities.PMID:34657170
LOFWhile CTCF is essential for cell survival, CTCF haploinsufficiency is associated with tumour development and hypermethylation.PMID:32816606

Predictions from Badonyi M, Marsh JA. PLoS ONE. 2024;19(8):e0307312. Mechanism ranking also informed by gnomAD constraint, ClinVar, and ClinGen data.

ClinVar Variant Classifications

424 submitted variants in ClinVar

Classification Summary

Pathogenic66
Likely Pathogenic55
VUS176
Likely Benign71
Benign21
Conflicting15
66
Pathogenic
55
Likely Pathogenic
176
VUS
71
Likely Benign
21
Benign
15
Conflicting

Curated Variants Distribution

Classified variants from ClinVar · 5 ACMG categories

ClassificationLoFMissense + InframeNon-codingSynonymousTotal
Pathogenic
30
9
27
0
66
Likely Pathogenic
21
31
3
0
55
VUS
2
161
12
1
176
Likely Benign
0
10
18
43
71
Benign
0
0
18
3
21
Conflicting
15
Total532117847404

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

View in ClinVar →

Protein Context — Lollipop Plot

CTCF · protein map & ClinVar variants

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

3D Protein StructureAlphaFold
Clinical Literature
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