PICALM (also known as clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid leukemia protein, CALM) is a phosphatidylinositol-binding clathrin assembly protein that plays important roles in clathrin-mediated endocytosis in all cell types [, ]. It modulates autophagy activity and tau accumulation, thus may influence the severity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) [, ]. PICALM is required for erythroid maturation and transferrin internalisation in mice []. PICALM deficiency in mice results in impaired hematopoiesis, anemia, abnormal iron metabolism, growth defects, and shortened life span. It plays a key role in iron homeostasis and cell proliferation [].
