Protein / target
Vesicular glutamate transporter 2
Protein at a glance
Biological role
Neurotransmitter transmembrane transporter
Strongest disease association
Duodenal ulcer
Research activity
Emerging research
Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.
Protein profile
Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.
Function overview
Multifunctional transporter that transports L-glutamate as well as multiple ions such as chloride, proton, potassium, sodium and phosphate.
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Multifunctional transporter that transports L-glutamate as well as multiple ions such as chloride, proton, potassium, sodium and phosphate (PubMed:11698620, PubMed:33440152). At the synaptic vesicle membrane, mainly functions as a uniporter which transports preferentially L-glutamate but also, phosphate from the cytoplasm into synaptic vesicles at presynaptic nerve terminals of excitatory neural cells (PubMed:11698620). The L-glutamate or phosphate uniporter activity is electrogenic and is driven by the proton electrochemical gradient, mainly by the electrical gradient established by the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase across the synaptic vesicle membrane (PubMed:11698620). In addition, functions as a chloride channel that allows the chloride permeation through the synaptic vesicle membrane therefore affects the proton electrochemical gradient and promotes synaptic vesicles acidification (By similarity). Moreover, functions as a vesicular K(+)/H(+) antiport allowing to maintain the electrical gradient and to decrease chemical gradient and therefore sustain vesicular glutamate uptake (By similarity). The vesicular H(+)/H(+) antiport activity is electroneutral (By similarity). At the plasma membrane, following exocytosis, functions as a symporter of Na(+) and phosphate from the extracellular space to the cytoplasm allowing synaptic phosphate homeostasis regulation (Probable) (PubMed:10820226). The symporter activity is driven by an inside negative membrane potential and is electrogenic (Probable). Also involved in the regulation of retinal hyaloid vessel regression during postnatal development (By similarity). May also play a role in the endocrine glutamatergic system of other tissues such as pineal gland and pancreas (By similarity)
Subcellular location
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (20)Hide
Gene Ontology
- Cchloride channel complex
- Cexcitatory synapse
- Cneuron projection
- Cplasma membrane
- Csynaptic vesicle membrane
- Fchloride channel activity
- FL-glutamate transmembrane transporter activity
- FL-glutamate uniporter activity
- Fneurotransmitter transmembrane transporter activity
- Fpotassium:proton antiporter activity
- Fsodium:phosphate symporter activity
- Phyaloid vascular plexus regression
Biological roles
What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.
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Excitatory neurotransmission
- ·Multifunctional transporter that transports L-glutamate as well as multiple ions such as…
- ·excitatory synapse
- ·synaptic transmission, glutamatergic
Chloride transport
- ·Multifunctional transporter that transports L-glutamate as well as multiple ions such as…
- ·chloride channel complex
- ·chloride channel activity
Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.
Translational evidence
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 SLC17A6
Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene SLC17A6that 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.
View evidence synthesis (5)Hide
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.
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Tractability
Antibodies — Emerging
Protein degraders — Emerging
View underlying tractability evidence (5)Hide
Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.
Research activity
Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.
Most cited
Recent
Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.