GRN

Chr 17ADAR

granulin precursor

Also known as: CLN11, FTD2, GEP, GP88, PCDGF, PEPI, PGRN

Granulins are a family of secreted, glycosylated peptides that are cleaved from a single precursor protein with 7.5 repeats of a highly conserved 12-cysteine granulin/epithelin motif. The 88 kDa precursor protein, progranulin, is also called proepithelin and PC cell-derived growth factor. Cleavage of the signal peptide produces mature granulin which can be further cleaved into a variety of active, 6 kDa peptides. These smaller cleavage products are named granulin A, granulin B, granulin C, etc. Epithelins 1 and 2 are synonymous with granulins A and B, respectively. Both the peptides and intact granulin protein regulate cell growth. However, different members of the granulin protein family may act as inhibitors, stimulators, or have dual actions on cell growth. Granulin family members are important in normal development, wound healing, and tumorigenesis. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

GeneReviewsOMIMResearchGenerating clinical summary…
LOFmechanismAD/ARLOEUF 0.483 OMIM phenotypes
Clinical SummaryGRN
🧬
Gene-Disease Validity (ClinGen)
neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis · ARDefinitive

Definitive — sufficient evidence for diagnostic panels

2 total gene-disease associations curated

Population Constraint (gnomAD)
Constrained for loss-of-function variants (OE-LoF 0.27) despite low pLI — interpret in context.
📋
ClinVar Variants
138 unique Pathogenic / Likely Pathogenic· 345 VUS of 829 total submissions
💊
Clinical Trials
9 active or recruiting trials — potential therapeutic options may be available
📖
GeneReview available — GRN
Authoritative clinical overview · Recommended first read
Open GeneReview ↗

Population Genetics & Constraint

gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance

Moderate LoF intolerance
LoF Constraint?
0.48LOEUF
pLI 0.070
Z-score 3.71
OE 0.27 (0.160.48)
Moderately constrained

More LoF-intolerant than ~75% of genes

Missense Constraint?
0.28Z-score
OE missense 0.96 (0.881.05)
341 obs / 355.6 exp
Tolerant

Mild missense constraint

Observed / Expected Ratios?
LoF OE?0.27 (0.160.48)
00.351.4
Missense OE?0.96 (0.881.05)
00.61.4
Synonymous OE?1.13
01.21.6
LoF obs/exp: 8 / 29.9Missense obs/exp: 341 / 355.6Syn Z: -1.25
Curated Mechanism (G2P)Gene2Phenotype (DDG2P) ↗
strongGRN-related ceroid lipofuscinosis, neuronalLOFAR

This gene — mechanism propensity

Predictions shown for reference only — model trained on dominant genes, not applicable to AR conditions.

DN
0.6162th %ile
GOF
0.5072th %ile
LOF
0.3455th %ile

The Badonyi & Marsh prediction model was trained exclusively on dominant disease genes. Predictions are not reliable for genes with autosomal recessive inheritance and are shown at reduced opacity for reference only.

Literature Evidence

LOFThe patient presented clinically with typical FTD without additional symptoms, consistent with haploinsufficiency of PGRN being the only gene contributing to the disease phenotype.1

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

References

  1. 1.PMID 18157829

ClinVar Variant Classifications

829 submitted variants in ClinVar

Classification Summary

Pathogenic110
Likely Pathogenic28
VUS345
Likely Benign249
Benign17
Conflicting36
110
Pathogenic
28
Likely Pathogenic
345
VUS
249
Likely Benign
17
Benign
36
Conflicting

Curated Variants Distribution

Classified variants from ClinVar · 5 ACMG categories

ClassificationLoFMissense + InframeNon-codingSynonymousTotal
Pathogenic
97
6
6
1
110
Likely Pathogenic
25
1
2
0
28
VUS
5
307
24
9
345
Likely Benign
0
9
87
153
249
Benign
0
1
15
1
17
Conflicting
36
Total127324134164785

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

View in ClinVar →

10 pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (of 11) ClinVar copy-number / structural variants overlap GRN — these span large chromosomal regions, not the gene specifically, and are excluded from the counts above. Explore in CNV tools →

Protein Context — Lollipop Plot

GRN · protein map & ClinVar variants

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

Clinical Trials

Active and recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD)Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD)

ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD)

RECRUITING
NCT04363684Mayo ClinicStarted 2020-03-01
Frontotemporal Dementia

Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of LY3884963 in Patients With Frontotemporal Dementia With Progranulin Mutations (FTD-GRN)

ACTIVE NOT RECRUITING
NCT04408625Phase PHASE1, PHASE2Prevail TherapeuticsStarted 2020-11-09
LY3884963MethylprednisoloneOptional Sirolimus
Spinal StenosisLigamentum Flavum Hypertrophy

Cytokines, Neuroplasticity Modulators, and Biomarkers in Spinal Canal Stenosis and Endoscopic Decompression

NOT YET RECRUITING
NCT07232836Phase NAPoznan University of Physical EducationStarted 2025-11-17
Endoscopic Spinal Canal Decompression
Frontotemporal Lobar DegenerationAlzheimer DiseaseCognitively Normal

PET Imaging Tau Accumulation in FTLD and Atypical Alzheimer's Using [18F]-PI-2620

RECRUITING
NCT05456503Phase PHASE3University of PennsylvaniaStarted 2022-09-19
[18F]-PI-2620
Frontotemporal DementiaFTDFTD-GRN

A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effect of AVB-101, a Gene Therapy Product, in Subjects With a Genetic Sub-type of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD-GRN)

RECRUITING
NCT06064890Phase PHASE1, PHASE2AviadoBio LtdStarted 2023-08-30
Intrathalamic AAV.PGRN administrationIntrathalamic AVB-101
Neuronal Ceroid LipofuscinosisBatten DiseaseCLN1 Disease

Natural History and Longitudinal Clinical Assessments in NCL / Batten Disease, the International DEM-CHILD Database

RECRUITING
NCT04613089Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-EppendorfStarted 2020-04-08
Natural History
Frontotemporal DementiaFTDFTD-GRN

A Study of PBFT02 in Participants With FTD and Mutations in the Granulin Precursor (GRN) or C9ORF72 Genes

ACTIVE NOT RECRUITING
NCT04747431Phase PHASE1, PHASE2Passage Bio, Inc.Started 2021-09-14
PBFT02
Neurodegenerative DiseaseBehavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD)Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA)

Tracking and Predicting How Brain Damage Spreads in Neurodegenerative Diseases

ENROLLING BY INVITATION
NCT07567664Phase NAIRCCS San RaffaeleStarted 2017-06-01
3 Tesla MRI without contrast mediumBlood sample for genetic analysisCerebrospinal fluid sampling (CSF)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Development of Targeted RNA-Seq for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Diagnosis

RECRUITING
NCT06083584Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de NīmesStarted 2023-11-22
RNA sequencing