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Protein / target

Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 2

Encoded byHAVCR2Q8TDQ0Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
6
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Transmembrane signaling receptor

Strongest disease association

subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma

Via encoding gene HAVCR2 · Genetic literature evidence · score 0.81

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Antibodies

Research activity

Emerging research

15 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 receptor implicated in modulating innate and adaptive immune responses.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Cell surface receptor implicated in modulating innate and adaptive immune responses. Generally accepted to have an inhibiting function. Reports on stimulating functions suggest that the activity may be influenced by the cellular context and/or the respective ligand (PubMed:24825777). Regulates macrophage activation (PubMed:11823861). Inhibits T-helper type 1 lymphocyte (Th1)-mediated auto- and alloimmune responses and promotes immunological tolerance (PubMed:14556005). In CD8+ cells attenuates TCR-induced signaling, specifically by blocking NF-kappaB and NFAT promoter activities resulting in the loss of IL-2 secretion. The function may implicate its association with LCK proposed to impair phosphorylation of TCR subunits, and/or LGALS9-dependent recruitment of PTPRC to the immunological synapse (PubMed:24337741, PubMed:26492563). In contrast, shown to activate TCR-induced signaling in T-cells probably implicating ZAP70, LCP2, LCK and FYN (By similarity). Expressed on Treg cells can inhibit Th17 cell responses (PubMed:24838857). Receptor for LGALS9 (PubMed:16286920, PubMed:24337741). Binding to LGALS9 is believed to result in suppression of T-cell responses; the resulting apoptosis of antigen-specific cells may implicate HAVCR2 phosphorylation and disruption of its association with BAG6. Binding to LGALS9 is proposed to be involved in innate immune response to intracellular pathogens. Expressed on Th1 cells interacts with LGALS9 expressed on Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages to stimulate antibactericidal activity including IL-1 beta secretion and to restrict intracellular bacterial growth (By similarity). However, the function as receptor for LGALS9 has been challenged (PubMed:23555261). Also reported to enhance CD8+ T-cell responses to an acute infection such as by Listeria monocytogenes (By similarity). Receptor for phosphatidylserine (PtSer); PtSer-binding is calcium-dependent. May recognize PtSer on apoptotic cells leading to their phagocytosis. Mediates the engulfment of apoptotic cells by dendritic cells. Expressed on T-cells, promotes conjugation but not engulfment of apoptotic cells. Expressed on dendritic cells (DCs) positively regulates innate immune response and in synergy with Toll-like receptors promotes secretion of TNF. In tumor-infiltrating DCs suppresses nucleic acid-mediated innate immune repsonse by interaction with HMGB1 and interfering with nucleic acid-sensing and trafficking of nucleid acids to endosomes (By similarity). Expressed on natural killer (NK) cells and acts as a coreceptor to enhance IFN-gamma production in response to LGALS9 (PubMed:22323453). In contrast, shown to suppress NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity (PubMed:22383801). Negatively regulates NK cell function in LPS-induced endotoxic shock (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Cell membraneCell junction
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (48)

Domains & features

Ig-like V-type

Gene Ontology

  • Canchoring junction
  • Ccell surface
  • Cearly endosome
  • Cimmunological synapse
  • Cmediator complex
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Fmetal ion binding
  • Ftransmembrane signaling receptor activity
  • Padaptive immune response
  • Pcellular response to lipopolysaccharide
  • Pdefense response to Gram-positive bacterium
  • Pinflammatory response

301 aa · 33 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

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

Immune signallingUniProt · GO · ReactomeTranscriptional regulationGO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·Cell surface receptor implicated in modulating innate and adaptive immune responses. Gen…
  • ·adaptive immune response
  • ·inflammatory response
  • ·innate immune response

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·negative regulation of gene expression
  • ·regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
View underlying pathways (1)

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.

LGALS9LGALS9BCD274LGALS9CCEACAM1HMGB1CADM1CD80CD86BAG6HAVCR2

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.

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.

sabatolimab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 2 inhibitor

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 HAVCR2

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene HAVCR2that 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.

subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma
0.78Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.75

Neoplasms
0.54Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.40

Myelodysplastic syndrome
0.50Limited support

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.37

late-onset Alzheimers disease
0.43Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.26

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
0.40Limited support

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.29

View evidence synthesis (5)
subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphomaWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.640.92
Genetic86%Literature14%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.75 · 2 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

NeoplasmsModerately supported
0.54
agreement 0.380.69
Clinical75%Literature25%

Open Targets aggregate 0.40 · 2 independent evidence families

Myelodysplastic syndromeLimited support
0.50
agreement 0.340.65
Clinical77%Literature23%

Open Targets aggregate 0.37 · 2 independent evidence families

late-onset Alzheimers diseaseLimited support
0.43
agreement 0.310.55
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.26 · 1 independent evidence family

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungLimited support
0.40
agreement 0.250.56
Clinical77%Literature23%

Open Targets aggregate 0.29 · 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
subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma0.75
Neoplasms0.40
Myelodysplastic syndrome0.37
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung0.29
late-onset Alzheimers disease0.26
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia0.26
Dementia0.24
HAVCR2-related cancer predisposition0.18
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute0.14
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular0.13

Drug development

3 compounds recorded · 1 approved · 2 in clinical development

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: these count different sets and are not a subset relation.

View all recorded compounds (3)
LOMVASTOMIGPhase 2
COBOLIMABPhase 3
SABATOLIMABApproval

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 moleculesEmerging

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

AntibodiesStrong

Advanced Clinical and UniProt loc high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

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

View underlying tractability evidence (8)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandAB · Advanced ClinicalAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Clinical trials

6

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.

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

What's happening now

1

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. New publication2021-04-21
    Phase I/Ib Clinical Trial of Sabatolimab, an Anti-TIM-3 Antibody, Alone and in Combination with Spartalizumab, an Anti-PD-1 Antibody, in Advanced Solid Tumors.

    Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2021 · 285 citations · Europe PMC · via sabatolimab

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

15 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

Recent

Targeting LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT for cancer immunotherapy.

Cai L · Journal of hematology & oncology · 2023

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.