SEMA5A

Overview

SEMA5A (Semaphorin 5A) is a transmembrane semaphorin involved in axon guidance and cell migration. Unlike class 3 secreted semaphorins, SEMA5A has both guidance and regulatory roles via its thrombospondin type-1 repeats. It has been implicated in cancer invasion and perineural spread. In adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), SEMA5A mutations contribute to disruption of the axon-guidance pathway, which is hypothesized to underlie the tumor’s well-known propensity for perineural invasion.

Alterations observed in the corpus

  • SEMA5A somatic mutation detected in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the salivary gland as part of a recurrently disrupted axon-guidance pathway (56% of tumors in the cohort) PMID:26862087

Cancer types (linked)

  • Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC): SEMA5A mutation part of broader axon-guidance pathway disruption; hypothesized to contribute to perineural invasion PMID:26862087

Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity

Therapeutic relevance

  • No direct therapeutic targeting of SEMA5A reported in the corpus; axon-guidance pathway disruption in ACC hypothesized as a candidate therapeutic target PMID:26862087

Open questions

  • Functional consequence of SEMA5A mutation in ACC and contribution to perineural invasion are uncharacterized PMID:26862087

Sources

This page was processed by crosslinker on 2026-05-14.