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Protein / target

Beta-2-microglobulin

Encoded byB2MP61769Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
UniProt: P61769Ensembl: ENSG00000166710HGNC: HGNC:914NCBI Gene: 567
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
2
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

MHC class II protein complex binding

Strongest disease association

Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's

Via encoding gene B2M · Genetic evidence · score 0.56

Research activity

Emerging research

2 papers · latest 2020

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Component of the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC).

View complete UniProt function annotation

Component of the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Involved in the presentation of peptide antigens to the immune system. Exogenously applied M.tuberculosis EsxA or EsxA-EsxB (or EsxA expressed in host) binds B2M and decreases its export to the cell surface (total protein levels do not change), probably leading to defects in class I antigen presentation (PubMed:25356553)

Subcellular location

SecretedCell surface
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (56)

Domains & features

Ig-like C1-type

Gene Ontology

  • Cearly endosome lumen
  • Cearly endosome membrane
  • Cendoplasmic reticulum
  • Cendoplasmic reticulum lumen
  • CER to Golgi transport vesicle membrane
  • Cexternal side of plasma membrane
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cfocal adhesion
  • CGolgi apparatus
  • CGolgi membrane

119 aa · 14 kDa

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Immune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·Component of the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Involved in the present…
  • ·peptide antigen binding
  • ·antigen processing and presentation of endogenous peptide antigen via MHC class I
  • ·antigen processing and presentation of exogenous peptide antigen via MHC class Ib

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene B2M

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene B2Mthat encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's
0.74Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46

Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse
0.56Moderately supported

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.59

Melanoma
0.43Limited support

Somatic mutation evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.42

HIV Infections
0.36Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.53 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis
0.33Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.47 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin'sModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.63–0.86
Genetic56%Somatic mutation40%Literature4%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 3 independent evidence families

Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, DiffuseModerately supported
0.56
agreement 0.40–0.72
Somatic mutation80%Literature21%

Open Targets aggregate 0.59 · 2 independent evidence families

MelanomaLimited support
0.43
agreement 0.27–0.59
Somatic mutation72%Literature28%

Open Targets aggregate 0.42 · 2 independent evidence families

HIV InfectionsPreliminary
0.36
agreement 0.19–0.54
Pathway93%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.53 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Immunoglobulin Light-chain AmyloidosisPreliminary
0.33
agreement 0.15–0.50
Pathway91%Literature9%

Open Targets aggregate 0.47 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse0.59
HIV Infections0.53
Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis0.47
COVID-190.47
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's0.46
Melanoma0.42

Tractability

Small molecules — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and high-quality pocket) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Antibodies — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot loc high conf and go cc high conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degraders — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (database ubiquitination and half-life data) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (8)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality PocketAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life Data

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

2 papers · to 2020

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Mutations Associated with Acquired Resistance to PD-1 Blockade in Melanoma.2,562 cites

Zaretsky JM · The New England journal of medicine · 2016

Efficacy and Safety of Expanded Hemodialysis with the Theranova 400 Dialyzer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.62 cites

Weiner DE · Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2020

Recent

Efficacy and Safety of Expanded Hemodialysis with the Theranova 400 Dialyzer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Weiner DE · Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2020

Mutations Associated with Acquired Resistance to PD-1 Blockade in Melanoma.

Zaretsky JM · The New England journal of medicine · 2016

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.