LAMA3 Gene

The LAMA3 gene (LAMA3 steth for: laminin subunit alpha 3) is a protein coding gene located on chromosome 18q11.2. Alternative splicing and alternative use of the promoter result in multiple transcript variants.

Diseases associated with LAMA3 include:

• Laryngo-Onycho-Cutaneous Syndrome
• Epidermolysis Bullosa junctionalis, generalized, severe (Herlitz type) (Kon A et al 1998).
• Epidermolysis Bullosa junctionalis, generalized, intermediate

LAMA3 encodes an alpha subunit of laminin A and responds to various epithelial-mesenchymal regulators such as keratinocyte growth factor, epidermal growth factor and insulin-like growth factor. Laminin A, is thought to bind to cells via a high affinity receptor. Laminin A mediates cell attachment, migration and organization in tissues during embryonic development through interaction with other extracellular matrix components.

Laminins are heterotrimeric molecules composed of alpha, beta, and gamma subunits that assemble via a coiled-coil domain. Laminins are essential for basement membrane formation and function and have additional functions in regulating cell migration and mechanical signal transduction.

Atopic dermatitis: Several SNPs in the LAMA3 gene show a significant association with atopic dermatitis; this association was not found for LAMB3- and LAMC2. It is suggested that the LAMA3 gene is a potential susceptibility gene for atopic dermatitis (Stemmler S et al. 2014).

Ovarian carcinoma: In ovarian carcinomas, the expression of LAMA3 was lower than in normal tissues. A homozygous CC mutation (rs12373237) was correlated with the occurrence of ovarian cancer. The 5-year survival analysis showed that the recurrence-free survival rate and overall survival rate were significantly higher in the group with high LAMA3 expression than in the group with low LAMA3 expression (Tang L et al. 2019).

Lung carcinoma: Epigenetic inactivation of laminin-5 (LN5)-encoding genes has been demonstrated in lung carcinoma (Sathyanarayana UG et al 2003).

Pancreatic carcinoma: A strong expression correlation has been demonstrated for LAMA3 (mRNA) (Tian C et al. 2021).

1. Kon A et al. (1998) Laminin 5 genes and Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa: novel mutations and polymorphisms in the LAMB3 and LAMC2 genes. Mutations in brief no. 190. online. Hum Mutat 12: 288.
2. Sathyanarayana UG et al (2003) Epigenetic inactivation of laminin-5-encoding genes in lung cancers. Clin Cancer Res 9:2665-2672.
3. Stemmler S et al. (2014) Association of variation in the LAMA3 gene, encoding the alpha-chain of laminin 5, with atopic dermatitis in a German case-control cohort. BMC Dermatol. 14:17.
4. Tang L et al. (2019) Correlation of LAMA3 with onset and prognosis of ovarian cancer. Oncol Lett 18: 2813-2818.
5. Tian C et al. (2021) High expression of LAMA3/AC245041.2 gene pair associated with KRAS mutation and poor survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a comprehensive TCGA analysis. Mol Med 27: 62.