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Protein / target

Protein S100-A9

Encoded byS100A9P06702Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
3
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Calcium-dependent protein binding

Strongest disease association

Response to antihypertensive drug

Via encoding gene S100A9 · Genetic evidence · score 0.26

Research activity

Emerging research

3 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

S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regulation of inflammatory processes and immune response.

View complete UniProt function annotation

S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regulation of inflammatory processes and immune response (PubMed:12626582, PubMed:15331440, PubMed:16258195, PubMed:19122197, PubMed:20103766, PubMed:21325622, PubMed:8423249). It can induce neutrophil chemotaxis, adhesion, can increase the bactericidal activity of neutrophils by promoting phagocytosis via activation of SYK, PI3K/AKT, and ERK1/2 and can induce degranulation of neutrophils by a MAPK-dependent mechanism (PubMed:12626582, PubMed:15331440, PubMed:20103766). Predominantly found as calprotectin (S100A8/A9) which has a wide plethora of intra- and extracellular functions (PubMed:16258195, PubMed:19122197, PubMed:8423249). The intracellular functions include: facilitating leukocyte arachidonic acid trafficking and metabolism, modulation of the tubulin-dependent cytoskeleton during migration of phagocytes and activation of the neutrophilic NADPH-oxidase (PubMed:15331440, PubMed:21325622). Also participates in regulatory T-cell differentiation together with CD69 (PubMed:26296369). Activates NADPH-oxidase by facilitating the enzyme complex assembly at the cell membrane, transferring arachidonic acid, an essential cofactor, to the enzyme complex and S100A8 contributes to the enzyme assembly by directly binding to NCF2/P67PHOX (PubMed:15642721, PubMed:22808130). The extracellular functions involve pro-inflammatory, antimicrobial, oxidant-scavenging and apoptosis-inducing activities (PubMed:19534726, PubMed:8423249). Its pro-inflammatory activity includes recruitment of leukocytes, promotion of cytokine and chemokine production, and regulation of leukocyte adhesion and migration (PubMed:15598812, PubMed:21487906). Acts as an alarmin or a danger associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecule and stimulates innate immune cells via binding to pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (AGER) (PubMed:19402754). Binding to TLR4 and AGER activates the MAP-kinase and NF-kappa-B signaling pathways resulting in the amplification of the pro-inflammatory cascade (PubMed:19402754, PubMed:22804476). Has antimicrobial activity towards bacteria and fungi and exerts its antimicrobial activity probably via chelation of Zn(2+) which is essential for microbial growth (PubMed:19087201). Can induce cell death via autophagy and apoptosis and this occurs through the cross-talk of mitochondria and lysosomes via reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the process involves BNIP3 (PubMed:19935772). Can regulate neutrophil number and apoptosis by an anti-apoptotic effect; regulates cell survival via ITGAM/ITGB and TLR4 and a signaling mechanism involving MEK-ERK (PubMed:22363402). Its role as an oxidant scavenger has a protective role in preventing exaggerated tissue damage by scavenging oxidants (PubMed:21912088, PubMed:22489132). Can act as a potent amplifier of inflammation in autoimmunity as well as in cancer development and tumor spread (PubMed:16258195). Has transnitrosylase activity; in oxidatively-modified low-densitity lipoprotein (LDL(ox))-induced S-nitrosylation of GAPDH on 'Cys-247' proposed to transfer the NO moiety from NOS2/iNOS to GAPDH via its own S-nitrosylated Cys-3 (PubMed:25417112). The iNOS-S100A8/A9 transnitrosylase complex is proposed to also direct selective inflammatory stimulus-dependent S-nitrosylation of multiple targets such as ANXA5, EZR, MSN and VIM by recognizing a [IL]-x-C-x-x-[DE] motif (PubMed:25417112)

Subcellular location

SecretedCytoplasmCytoplasm, cytoskeletonCell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (44)

Domains & features

EF-hand 1EF-hand 2

Gene Ontology

  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytoskeleton
  • Ccytosol
  • Cextracellular exosome
  • Cextracellular matrix
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cintermediate filament cytoskeleton
  • Cnucleus
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Csecretory granule lumen
  • Fantioxidant activity

114 aa · 13 kDa

Biological roles

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

Cell migrationUniProt · GOCell proliferation & survivalUniProtOncogenic signallingUniProtLipid & lipoprotein metabolismUniProtImmune signallingUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell migration

  • ·S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regula…
  • ·endothelial cell migration
  • ·neutrophil chemotaxis

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regula…

Oncogenic signalling

  • ·S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regula…

Lipid & lipoprotein metabolism

  • ·S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regula…

Immune signalling

  • ·S100A9 is a calcium- and zinc-binding protein which plays a prominent role in the regula…
  • ·antimicrobial humoral immune response mediated by antimicrobial peptide
  • ·chronic inflammatory response
  • ·inflammatory response

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 S100A9

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene S100A9that 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.

Response to antihypertensive drug
0.26Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.16

Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
0.24Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.37 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Psoriasis
0.23Preliminary

RNA expression evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.11 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Neoplasms
0.15Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.12 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular
0.14Preliminary

Literature evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.11 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Response to antihypertensive drugLimited support
0.26
agreement 0.140.38
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.16 · 1 independent evidence family

Immunologic Deficiency SyndromesPreliminary
0.24
agreement 0.070.42
Pathway99%Literature1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.37 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

PsoriasisPreliminary
0.23
agreement 0.040.42
RNA expression51%Literature49%

Open Targets aggregate 0.11 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

NeoplasmsPreliminary
0.15
agreement 0.000.42
Literature100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.12 · 1 independent evidence family · no direct causal or clinical evidence

Carcinoma, HepatocellularPreliminary
0.14
agreement 0.000.41
Literature100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.11 · 1 independent evidence family · 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
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes0.37
Response to antihypertensive drug0.16
Neoplasms0.12
Psoriasis0.11
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular0.11
Colorectal Neoplasms0.11
Alzheimer's Disease0.11
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis0.11

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

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

AntibodiesEmerging

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

Protein degradersEmerging

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 LigandAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · Human Protein Atlas locPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

3 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

Wang S · Frontiers in immunology · 2018

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.