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Protein / target

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4

Encoded byDPP4P27487Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
15
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Serine-type endopeptidase

Strongest disease association

Intelligence

Via encoding gene DPP4 · Genetic evidence · score 0.71

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules and antibodies

Research activity

Emerging research

10 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

Cell surface glycoprotein receptor involved in the costimulatory signal essential for T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated T-cell activation.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Cell surface glycoprotein receptor involved in the costimulatory signal essential for T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated T-cell activation (PubMed:10900005, PubMed:10951221, PubMed:11772392, PubMed:17287217). Acts as a positive regulator of T-cell coactivation, by binding at least ADA, CAV1, IGF2R, and PTPRC (PubMed:10900005, PubMed:10951221, PubMed:11772392, PubMed:14691230). Its binding to CAV1 and CARD11 induces T-cell proliferation and NF-kappa-B activation in a T-cell receptor/CD3-dependent manner (PubMed:17287217). Its interaction with ADA also regulates lymphocyte-epithelial cell adhesion (PubMed:11772392). In association with FAP is involved in the pericellular proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the migration and invasion of endothelial cells into the ECM (PubMed:10593948, PubMed:16651416). May be involved in the promotion of lymphatic endothelial cells adhesion, migration and tube formation (PubMed:18708048). When overexpressed, enhanced cell proliferation, a process inhibited by GPC3 (PubMed:17549790). Also acts as a serine exopeptidase with a dipeptidyl peptidase activity that regulates various physiological processes by cleaving peptides in the circulation, including many chemokines, mitogenic growth factors, neuropeptides and peptide hormones such as brain natriuretic peptide 32 (PubMed:10570924, PubMed:16254193). Removes N-terminal dipeptides sequentially from polypeptides having unsubstituted N-termini provided that the penultimate residue is proline (PubMed:10593948)

Subcellular location

SecretedCell membraneApical cell membraneCell projection, invadopodium membraneCell projection, lamellipodium membraneCell junctionMembrane raft
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (39)

Gene Ontology

  • Capical plasma membrane
  • Ccell surface
  • Cendocytic vesicle
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cfocal adhesion
  • Cintercellular canaliculus
  • Clamellipodium
  • Clamellipodium membrane
  • Clysosomal membrane
  • Cmembrane
  • Cmembrane raft

766 aa · 88 kDa

Biological roles

Reactome v97

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

Cell migrationGOCell proliferation & survivalGOCell adhesionUniProt · GOProteolysisUniProt · GOImmune signallingGO
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·endothelial cell migration
  • ·negative regulation of neutrophil chemotaxis

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·positive regulation of cell population proliferation

Cell adhesion

  • ·Cell surface glycoprotein receptor involved in the costimulatory signal essential for T-…
  • ·Cell junction
  • ·cell adhesion
  • ·negative regulation of extracellular matrix disassembly

Proteolysis

  • ·Cell surface glycoprotein receptor involved in the costimulatory signal essential for T-…
  • ·aminopeptidase activity
  • ·dipeptidyl-peptidase activity
  • ·protease binding

Immune signalling

  • ·T cell activation
  • ·T cell costimulation
View underlying pathways (2)

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

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

ACE2ADACAV1PTPRCGCGCXCR4FN1GIPITGB1PRCPDPP4

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Approved medicines with mapped indications

3 medicines · 5 areas

Approved therapies targeting this protein, grouped by what they are approved to treat — the disease-first view of the medicines below. Relationships come from the canonical approved-indication graph (ChEMBL phase-4), the same source as the drug cards.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 23 medicines
Diabetes Mellitus2 medicines
Hyperlipidemias1 medicine
Myocardial Infarction1 medicine
Stroke1 medicine

15 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 3 shown here are those on this page with a canonical approved disease indication in the graph. Approved indications from ChEMBL (phase-4), via the canonical drug→disease graph.

Drugs targeting this protein

3

How approved and investigational drugs engage this protein — mechanism and action type, direct vs complex targeting, and how broadly each acts across other targets. A drug-first view (the section above groups the approved ones disease-first); direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Sitagliptin Phosphate
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor

Indicated for Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Hyperlipidemias, Myocardial Infarction, Stroke

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

linagliptin
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor

Indicated for Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

vildagliptin
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor

Indicated for Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

ChEMBL mechanism, action type, target identity and approved indications. Open Targets clinical status.

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 DPP4

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene DPP4that 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
0.80Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.62

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
0.79Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.64

Kidney Failure, Chronic
0.75Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.44

Intelligence
0.71Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.43

Smoking initiation
0.67Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.41

View evidence synthesis (5)
Diabetes MellitusWell supported
0.80
agreement 0.670.92
Clinical73%Literature14%Animal model13%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Well supported
0.79
agreement 0.630.94
Clinical84%Literature16%

Open Targets aggregate 0.64 · 2 independent evidence families

Kidney Failure, ChronicModerately supported
0.75
agreement 0.640.85
Genetic47%Clinical42%Literature12%

Open Targets aggregate 0.44 · 3 independent evidence families

IntelligenceModerately supported
0.71
agreement 0.590.83
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.43 · 1 independent evidence family

Smoking initiationModerately supported
0.67
agreement 0.550.79
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.41 · 1 independent evidence family

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
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 20.64
Diabetes Mellitus0.62
Myocardial Infarction0.45
Kidney Failure, Chronic0.44
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.44
Intelligence0.43
Smoking initiation0.41
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 10.40
Asthma0.39

Drug development

21 compounds recorded · 15 approved · 6 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 3 drugs that target this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (3 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
OMARIGLIPTINApproval
VILDAGLIPTINApproval
TRELAGLIPTIN SUCCINATEApproval
GEMIGLIPTINApproval
SITAGLIPTIN FUMARATEApproval
EVOGLIPTINApproval
ALOGLIPTIN BENZOATEApproval
DBPR-108Phase 3
SITAGLIPTIN HYDROCHLORIDE MONOHYDRATEApproval
TRELAGLIPTINPhase 3

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesStrong

Approved Drug and Structure with Ligand support this modality.

AntibodiesStrong

Advanced Clinical and UniProt loc high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

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

View underlying tractability evidence (11)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · High-Quality PocketSM · Druggable FamilyAB · Advanced ClinicalAB · 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.

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein. Ranked by active status, then clinical phase and recency, and spread across the targeting drugs.

View all trials (26)

WITHDRAWN · via linagliptin · NCT04341935

COMPLETED · via linagliptin · NCT02442817

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

12

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for 3 drugs that target this protein, plus publications where such a drug is a genuine subject. Every item is reached indirectly through the drug, not the protein itself; incidental mentions (a paper that merely measures a drug) and press items are excluded.

  1. Label change2026-08-11

    Label change: EMPAGLIFLOZIN, LINAGLIPTIN, METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA212614)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  2. Label change2026-08-11

    Label change: LINAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA201281)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  3. Label change2026-08-11

    Label change: LINAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA208026)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  4. Label change2026-08-11

    Label change: SITAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA022044)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Sitagliptin Phosphate

  5. Label change2026-08-11

    Label change: SITAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA202270)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Sitagliptin Phosphate

  6. Label change2025-10-24

    Label change: EMPAGLIFLOZIN, LINAGLIPTIN, METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA212614)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  7. New publication2024-04-02
    DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin and PF-00734,200 mitigate dopaminergic neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and behavioral impairment in the rat 6-OHDA model of Parkinson's disease.

    GeroScience · 2024 · 12 citations · Europe PMC · via Sitagliptin Phosphate

  8. Indication expanded2023-06-20

    Indication expansion: LINAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA201281)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  9. Indication expanded2023-06-20

    Indication expansion: LINAGLIPTIN AND METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (NDA208026)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via linagliptin

  10. New publication2016-09-01
    Effect of Linagliptin on Vascular Function: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study.

    The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2016 · 33 citations · Europe PMC · via linagliptin

  11. New publication2012-11-01
    Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibition may facilitate healing of chronic foot ulcers in patients with type 2 diabetes.

    Experimental diabetes research · 2012 · 66 citations · Europe PMC · via vildagliptin

  12. New publication2010-03-24
    Dose-ranging efficacy of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Endocrine journal · 2010 · 84 citations · Europe PMC · via Sitagliptin Phosphate

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.

Research activity

10 papers · to 2025

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

Most cited

Drucker DJ · The Journal of clinical investigation · 2007

Ussher JR · Endocrine reviews · 2012

Drucker DJ · Diabetes care · 2003

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.