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Protein / target

Sodium-dependent serotonin transporter

Encoded bySLC6A4P31645Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
53
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
View by indication →
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Neurotransmitter transmembrane transporter

Primary biology

Neuronal / synaptic signalling

Strongest disease association

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Via encoding gene SLC6A4 · Genetic evidence · score 0.54

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Small molecules

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

Serotonin transporter that cotransports serotonin with one Na(+) ion in exchange for one K(+) ion and possibly one proton in an overall electroneutral transport cycle.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Serotonin transporter that cotransports serotonin with one Na(+) ion in exchange for one K(+) ion and possibly one proton in an overall electroneutral transport cycle. Transports serotonin across the plasma membrane from the extracellular compartment to the cytosol thus limiting serotonin intercellular signaling (PubMed:10407194, PubMed:12869649, PubMed:21730057, PubMed:27049939, PubMed:27756841, PubMed:34851672). Essential for serotonin homeostasis in the central nervous system. In the developing somatosensory cortex, acts in glutamatergic neurons to control serotonin uptake and its trophic functions accounting for proper spatial organization of cortical neurons and elaboration of sensory circuits. In the mature cortex, acts primarily in brainstem raphe neurons to mediate serotonin uptake from the synaptic cleft back into the pre-synaptic terminal thus terminating serotonin signaling at the synapse (By similarity). Modulates mucosal serotonin levels in the gastrointestinal tract through uptake and clearance of serotonin in enterocytes. Required for enteric neurogenesis and gastrointestinal reflexes (By similarity). Regulates blood serotonin levels by ensuring rapid high affinity uptake of serotonin from plasma to platelets, where it is further stored in dense granules via vesicular monoamine transporters and then released upon stimulation (PubMed:17506858, PubMed:18317590). Mechanistically, the transport cycle starts with an outward-open conformation having Na1(+) and Cl(-) sites occupied. The binding of a second extracellular Na2(+) ion and serotonin substrate leads to structural changes to outward-occluded to inward-occluded to inward-open, where the Na2(+) ion and serotonin are released into the cytosol. Binding of intracellular K(+) ion induces conformational transitions to inward-occluded to outward-open and completes the cycle by releasing K(+) possibly together with a proton bound to Asp-98 into the extracellular compartment. Na1(+) and Cl(-) ions remain bound throughout the transport cycle (PubMed:10407194, PubMed:12869649, PubMed:21730057, PubMed:27049939, PubMed:27756841, PubMed:34851672). Additionally, displays serotonin-induced channel-like conductance for monovalent cations, mainly Na(+) ions. The channel activity is uncoupled from the transport cycle and may contribute to the membrane resting potential or excitability (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Cell membraneEndomembrane systemEndosome membraneSynapseCell junction, focal adhesionCell projection, neuron projection
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (54)

Gene Ontology

  • Cendomembrane system
  • Cendosome membrane
  • Cfocal adhesion
  • CGolgi apparatus
  • Cmembrane raft
  • Cneuron projection
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cpostsynaptic membrane
  • Cpresynaptic membrane
  • Cserotonergic synapse
  • Csynapse
  • Factin filament binding

630 aa · 70 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

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

Ion channel gatingGOExcitatory neurotransmissionUniProtHaemostasisUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Ion channel gating

  • ·monoatomic cation channel activity
  • ·sodium ion transmembrane transport

Excitatory neurotransmission

  • ·Serotonin transporter that cotransports serotonin with one Na(+) ion in exchange for one…

Haemostasis

  • ·Serotonin transporter that cotransports serotonin with one Na(+) ion in exchange for one…
  • ·platelet aggregation
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.

DRD4HTR1AHTR2ATPH1COMTMAOAHTR1BSTX1ATPH2BDNFSLC6A4

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

1 medicine · 7 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.

Anxiety Disorders1 medicine
Chronic Pain1 medicine
Diabetes Mellitus1 medicine
Diabetic Neuropathies1 medicine
Fibromyalgia1 medicine
Neuralgia1 medicine
Urinary Incontinence, Stress1 medicine

53 medicines meet Open Targets' target-level approved-medicine definition; the 1 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

1

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.

Duloxetine Hydrochloride
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Serotonin transporter inhibitor

Indicated for Anxiety Disorders, Chronic Pain, Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetic Neuropathies

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

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 SLC6A4

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene SLC6A4that 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.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
0.91Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.68

Major depressive disorder
0.79Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.64

Depressive Disorder
0.78Well supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.63

Panic disorder
0.75Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.60

Fibromyalgia
0.74Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.60

View evidence synthesis (5)
Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderWell supported
0.91
agreement 0.811.00
Clinical48%Genetic35%Animal model15%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.68 · 4 independent evidence families

Major depressive disorderWell supported
0.79
agreement 0.630.94
Clinical84%Literature16%

Open Targets aggregate 0.64 · 2 independent evidence families

Depressive DisorderWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.630.94
Clinical84%Literature16%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 2 independent evidence families

Panic disorderModerately supported
0.75
agreement 0.590.90
Clinical97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 2 independent evidence families

FibromyalgiaModerately supported
0.74
agreement 0.590.90
Clinical99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 2 independent evidence families

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
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder0.68
Major depressive disorder0.64
Depressive Disorder0.63
Panic disorder0.60
Fibromyalgia0.60
Anxiety Disorders0.60
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic0.59
Phobia, Social0.59
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity0.58
Bipolar Disorder0.58

Drug development

67 compounds recorded · 53 approved · 11 in clinical development · 3 earlier-stage

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines. Distinct from the 1 drug that targets this protein in Forefront's canonical graph (1 with a mapped approved indication, shown above): these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (10)
VILAZODONEApproval
DESVENLAFAXINE FUMARATEApproval
METHAMPHETAMINEApproval
NEFAZODONEApproval
DESVENLAFAXINE SUCCINATEApproval
FLUVOXAMINE MALEATEApproval
ESCITALOPRAMApproval
CITALOPRAMApproval
NEFAZODONE HYDROCHLORIDEApproval
VENLAFAXINE HYDROCHLORIDEApproval

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.

AntibodiesEmerging

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

Protein degradersEmerging

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

Other modalitiesStrong

Advanced Clinical support this modality.

View underlying tractability evidence (9)
SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Advanced Clinical

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

nausea and vomitingUrban et al. (2012)Decrease, Population growth rateAOP-WikiinsomniaUrban et al. (2012)decreased sleepLynch et al. (2017)gastrointestinal crampsUrban et al. (2012)dizzinessLynch et al. (2017)anxietyUrban et al. (2012)increased gastrointestinal motilityBowes et al. (2012)insomniaBowes et al. (2012)sexual dysfunctionUrban et al. (2012)decreased upper gastrointestinal transitBowes et al. (2012)diarrheaLynch et al. (2017)

Terms indexed against this target in Open Targets' safety data, with their datasource. These are annotations, not causal claims: the direction of effect (whether activation or inhibition is implicated), species and evidence strength are not captured here, so an entry does not mean that modulating this target is known to cause that condition.

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)

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00673452

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00479726

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00071695

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00067912

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00755807

COMPLETED · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride · NCT00191594

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

10

Recent therapeutic activity around this target — regulatory actions, clinical trials and safety signals for a drug that targets 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 change2026-08-17

    Label change: DULOXETINE (NDA219131)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  2. Product recall2026-06-04

    Recall (Class II): DULOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE

    fda · safety · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  3. Product recall2026-06-04

    Recall (Class II): DULOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE

    fda · safety · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  4. Regulatory approval2026-02-27

    Approval: DULOXETINE (NDA219131)

    fda · regulatory · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  5. Product recall2025-07-15

    Recall (Class II): DULOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE

    fda · safety · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  6. Product recall2024-12-06

    Recall (Class II): DULOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE

    fda · safety · fda · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  7. New publication2014-04-14
    Prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in survivors of adult cancers: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline.

    Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2014 · 831 citations · Europe PMC · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  8. New publication2010-11-01
    Duloxetine versus placebo in the treatment of patients with diabetic neuropathic pain in China.

    Chinese medical journal · 2010 · 27 citations · Europe PMC · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  9. New publication2010-09-21
    Efficacy and safety of duloxetine 60 mg and 120 mg daily in patients hospitalized for severe depression: a double-blind randomized trial.

    The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2011 · 11 citations · Europe PMC · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

  10. Regulatory approval2004-08-11

    Approval: Yentreve (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via Duloxetine Hydrochloride

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.