Protein / target

Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 2

HAVCR2Q8TDQ0Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
6
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Transmembrane signaling receptor activity

Primary system

Immune system

Strongest disease association

subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma

Genetic literature evidence · score 0.81

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

1 approved medicine against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Structure with Ligand

Clinical development

1 approved · 2 in clinical development

6 linked trials

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

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 · ReactomeSynaptic signallingUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationGOKinase signallingUniProtCell adhesionUniProt
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

Synaptic signalling

  • ·Cell surface receptor implicated in modulating innate and adaptive immune responses. Gen…
  • ·immunological synapse
  • ·negative regulation of immunological synapse formation

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·negative regulation of gene expression
  • ·regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II

Kinase signalling

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

Cell adhesion

  • ·Cell junction
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

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

sabatolimab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 2 inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving neoplasm, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia

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

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

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma0.81

Genetic literature · overall 0.75

late-onset Alzheimers disease0.43

Genetic · overall 0.26

dementia0.39

Genetic · overall 0.24

HAVCR2-related cancer predisposition0.30

Genetic literature · overall 0.18

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

neoplasm0.61

Clinical · overall 0.40

myelodysplastic syndrome0.57

Clinical · overall 0.37

non-small cell lung carcinoma0.45

Clinical · overall 0.29

chronic myelomonocytic leukemia0.43

Clinical · overall 0.26

acute myeloid leukemia0.16

Clinical · overall 0.14

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

hepatocellular carcinoma0.13

Literature

Show all associations
subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma0.75
neoplasm0.40
myelodysplastic syndrome0.37
non-small cell lung carcinoma0.29
late-onset Alzheimers disease0.26
chronic myelomonocytic leukemia0.26
dementia0.24
HAVCR2-related cancer predisposition0.18
acute myeloid leukemia0.14
hepatocellular carcinoma0.13

Open Targets ranks 797 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 3 total

LOMVASTOMIGPhase 2

esophageal squamous cell carcinoma · esophageal squamous cell carcinoma · neoplasm

COBOLIMABPhase 3

non-small cell lung carcinoma · hepatocellular carcinoma · melanoma

SABATOLIMABApproval

neoplasm · myelodysplastic syndrome · chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

Tractability

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

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.

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

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.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

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

neoplasmModerately 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

non-small cell lung carcinomaLimited 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 underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

1

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through a drug that targets this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  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.