The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family. PTPs are known to be signaling molecules that regulate a variety of cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation, mitosis, and oncogenic transformation. This PTP contains an extracellular domain, a single transmembrane segment and two tandem intracytoplasmic catalytic domains, and thus is classified as a receptor type PTP. This PTP has been shown to be an essential regulator of T- and B-cell antigen receptor signaling. It functions through either direct interaction with components of the antigen receptor complexes, or by activating various Src family kinases required for the antigen receptor signaling. This PTP also suppresses JAK kinases, and thus functions as a regulator of cytokine receptor signaling. Alternatively spliced transcripts variants of this gene, which encode distinct isoforms, have been reported. [provided by RefSeq, Jun 2012]
Forensic Context
A study in humans demonstrated that the PTPRC mRNA was identified as a candidate marker for nasal mucosa detection via RNA sequencing [Chirnside et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102317]; however, specificity testing revealed it showed the strongest cross-reactions in all tested non-nasal body fluids except saliva, leading to its exclusion as a candidate for forensic body fluid identification [Chirnside et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102317]. In a separate study of human and rat corpus cavernosum, the PTPRC was identified as part of immune-related interactions and showed similar or higher overall information flow in human tissue compared with rat [Yin et al. DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114760]. A systematic review of human skin wounds compiled from forensic autopsies identified the PTPRC as a proteomic marker for fibrocytes, specifically noting that the appearance of fibrocytes (CD45+/Collagen I+) in wounds indicates an age of at least 4 days, with more than 15 fibrocytes suggesting a wound age of 9–14 days [Ros et al. DOI:10.3389/fmed.2021.786798].