Protein / target

Excitatory amino acid transporter 2

Encoded bySLC1A2P43004Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot

UniProt: P43004 Ensembl: ENSG00000110436 HGNC: HGNC:10940 NCBI Gene: 6506

Small-molecule tractable

Druggability

Structure with Ligand

Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

High-affinity L-glutamate transmembrane transporter

Strongest disease association

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Via encoding gene SLC1A2 · Genetic evidence · score 0.78

Research activity

Emerging research

6 papers · latest 2025

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

Sodium-dependent, high-affinity amino acid transporter that mediates the uptake of L-glutamate and also L-aspartate and D-aspartate.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Sodium-dependent, high-affinity amino acid transporter that mediates the uptake of L-glutamate and also L-aspartate and D-aspartate (PubMed:14506254, PubMed:15265858, PubMed:26690923, PubMed:7521911). Functions as a symporter that transports one amino acid molecule together with two or three Na(+) ions and one proton, in parallel with the counter-transport of one K(+) ion (PubMed:14506254). Mediates Cl(-) flux that is not coupled to amino acid transport; this avoids the accumulation of negative charges due to aspartate and Na(+) symport (PubMed:14506254). Essential for the rapid removal of released glutamate from the synaptic cleft, and for terminating the postsynaptic action of glutamate (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Cell membrane

Domains and Gene Ontology detail (33)

Gene Ontology

Castrocyte projection
Caxolemma
Ccell body
Ccell surface
Cglutamatergic synapse
Cmembrane
Cmembrane protein complex
Cmembrane raft
Cneuron projection terminus
Cplasma membrane
Cpresynaptic membrane
Cvesicle

574 aa · 62 kDa · 3 isoforms

Biological roles

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

Synaptic signallingUniProt · GOIon channel gatingGO

View supporting evidence

Synaptic signalling

·Sodium-dependent, high-affinity amino acid transporter that mediates the uptake of L-glu…
·glutamatergic synapse
·presynaptic membrane
·chemical synaptic transmission

Ion channel gating

·monoatomic anion transmembrane transporter activity

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 SLC1A2

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene SLC1A2that 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.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

0.80Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.49

Hypothyroidism

0.76Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46

Thyroid Diseases

0.69Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.42

Undetermined early-onset epileptic encephalopathy

0.65Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

Myxedema

0.60Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.36

View evidence synthesis (5)

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Well supported

0.80

agreement 0.66–0.94

Genetic88%Literature12%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 2 independent evidence families

HypothyroidismWell supported

0.76

agreement 0.62–0.90

Genetic99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 2 independent evidence families

Thyroid DiseasesModerately supported

0.69

agreement 0.57–0.81

Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.42 · 1 independent evidence family

Undetermined early-onset epileptic encephalopathyModerately supported

0.65

agreement 0.53–0.77

Genetic85%Animal model15%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 2 independent evidence families

MyxedemaModerately supported

0.60

agreement 0.48–0.72

Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.36 · 1 independent evidence family

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

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 20.49

Hypothyroidism0.46

Neurodegenerative Diseases0.45

Thyroid Diseases0.42

Undetermined early-onset epileptic encephalopathy0.38

Myxedema0.36

Vitiligo0.34

Stroke0.32

Tractability

Small molecules — Emerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and high-quality ligand) — 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 (half-life data and small molecule binder) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (8)

SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.