Protein / target
Tyrosine-protein kinase JAK2
Protein at a glance
Biological role
Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase activity
Primary system
Nervous system
Strongest disease association
ulcerative colitis
Therapeutic maturity
Clinically validated target
Druggability
Small molecule
Clinical development
18 approved · 13 in clinical development
Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.
Protein profile
Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.
Function
Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates type I receptors such as growth hormone (GHR), prolactin (PRLR), leptin (LEPR), erythropoietin (EPOR), thrombopoietin receptor (MPL/TPOR); or type II receptors including IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, IFN-gamma and multiple interleukins (PubMed:15690087, PubMed:15899890, PubMed:7615558, PubMed:9188471, PubMed:9657743). Functionnally, plays a pivotal role in signal transduction and is involved in various processes such as cell growth, development, differentiation or histone modifications. Mediates essential signaling events in both innate and adaptive immunity. Mechanistically, following ligand-binding to cell surface receptors, phosphorylates specific tyrosine residues on the cytoplasmic tails of the receptor, creating docking sites for STATs proteins (PubMed:15690087, PubMed:9618263). Subsequently, phosphorylates the STATs proteins once they are recruited to the receptor. Phosphorylated STATs then form homodimer or heterodimers and translocate to the nucleus to activate gene transcription. For example, cell stimulation with erythropoietin (EPO) during erythropoiesis leads to JAK2 autophosphorylation, activation, and its association with erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) that becomes phosphorylated in its cytoplasmic domain (PubMed:9657743). Then, STAT5 (STAT5A or STAT5B) is recruited, phosphorylated and activated by JAK2. Once activated, dimerized STAT5 translocates into the nucleus and promotes the transcription of several essential genes involved in the modulation of erythropoiesis. Part of a signaling cascade that is activated by increased cellular retinol and that leads to the activation of STAT5 (STAT5A or STAT5B) (PubMed:21368206). In addition, JAK2 mediates angiotensin-2-induced ARHGEF1 phosphorylation (PubMed:20098430). Plays a role in cell cycle by phosphorylating CDKN1B (PubMed:21423214). Cooperates with TEC through reciprocal phosphorylation to mediate cytokine-driven activation of FOS transcription. In the nucleus, plays a key role in chromatin by specifically mediating phosphorylation of 'Tyr-41' of histone H3 (H3Y41ph), a specific tag that promotes exclusion of CBX5 (HP1 alpha) from chromatin (PubMed:19783980). Up-regulates the potassium voltage-gated channel activity of KCNA3 (PubMed:25644777). Binding of CNTF or the CLCF1/CLF heterodimer to CNTFR leads to IL6ST/gp130-LIFR dimerization followed by activation of JAK1 and JAK2 which in turns phosphorylate IL6ST/gp130 and LIFR (PubMed:11294841). The tyrosine phosphorylated signaling receptors serve in turn as docking proteins for STAT3 (PubMed:11294841). Involved in the oncostatin-M-mediated signaling pathway through both type I OSM receptor complex (heterodimers composed of LIFR and IL6ST) and type II OSM receptor complex (heterodimers composed of OSMR and IL6ST) (PubMed:9188471)
Subcellular location
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (118)Hide
Domains & features
Gene Ontology
- Ccaveola
- Cchromatin
- Ccytoplasm
- Ccytoplasmic side of plasma membrane
- Ccytosol
- Cendosome lumen
- Ceuchromatin
- Cextrinsic component of cytoplasmic side of plasma membrane
- Cextrinsic component of plasma membrane
- Cglutamatergic synapse
- Cmembrane raft
- Cnucleoplasm
Biological roles
What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.
View supporting evidenceHide supporting evidence
Kinase signalling
- ·Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates type I receptors such…
- ·histone H3Y41 kinase activity
- ·non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase activity
- ·protein kinase activity
Immune signalling
- ·Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates type I receptors such…
- ·interleukin-12 receptor binding
- ·adaptive immune response
- ·cytokine-mediated signaling pathway
Transcriptional regulation
- ·Non-membrane spanning protein tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates type I receptors such…
- ·positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
Synaptic signalling
- ·glutamatergic synapse
- ·postsynapse
- ·modulation of chemical synaptic transmission
- ·regulation of postsynapse to nucleus signaling pathway
Apoptosis & cell death
- ·apoptotic process
- ·negative regulation of cardiac muscle cell apoptotic process
- ·negative regulation of neuron apoptotic process
- ·positive regulation of epithelial cell apoptotic process
Haemostasis
- ·platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling pathway
- ·positive regulation of platelet activation
- ·positive regulation of platelet aggregation
View underlying pathways (25)Hide underlying pathways
Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.
Interaction neighbourhood
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.
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
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.
Tyrosine-protein kinase JAK2 inhibitor
Appears in clinical studies involving juvenile idiopathic arthritis, atopic eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile dermatomyositis
ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.
Translational evidence
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.
Highest-confidence therapeutic associations
Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.
Show all associationsHide all associations
Open Targets ranks 1,636 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 · 31 total
myeloproliferative disorder · primary myelofibrosis · myelofibrosis
breast cancer · myeloproliferative neoplasm · essential thrombocythemia
acquired polycythemia vera · myelofibrosis
plasma cell myeloma · acute lymphoblastic leukemia · myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia
myelofibrosis
rheumatoid arthritis · ulcerative colitis
anaplastic astrocytoma · glioblastoma · gliosarcoma
myelofibrosis · primary myelofibrosis · myelofibrosis
psoriatic arthritis · rheumatoid arthritis · Alopecia universalis
acute myeloid leukemia by FAB classification · myeloid leukemia · acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Tractability
Safety liabilities
Clinical trials
Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.
Show remaining trials (24)Hide
ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.
Related literature
Papers indexed under “Janus Kinase 2” — a subject heading that covers this protein without being specific to it. Shown as context; not counted as this protein's own research activity.
Europe PMC literature, reached through a MeSH descriptor linked to this protein.
Forefront confidence
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.
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
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.
- Label change
Label change: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Indication expanded
Indication expansion: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Indication expanded
Indication expansion: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Label change
Label change: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- New publicationImmunopathogenesis and treatment of cytokine storm in COVID-19.
- Safety communication
Drug Safety Update: Baricitinib (Olumiant▼): increased risk of diverticulitis, particularly in patients with risk factors
- Label change
Label change: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Safety communication
Drug Safety Update: Baricitinib (Olumiant▼): risk of venous thromboembolism
- Indication expanded
Indication expansion: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Regulatory approval
Approval: BARICITINIB (NDA207924)
- Regulatory approval
Approval: Olumiant (EMA)
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.