SLC16A7: Monocarboxylate Transporter 2 (MCT2)
Solute Carrier Family 16 Member 7 – Key Lactate and Pyruvate Transporter in Neuronal Metabolism
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | SLC16A7 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Solute Carrier Family 16 Member 7 |
| Gene Type | Protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 12q13.11 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 9194 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/9194 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000118503 |
| UniProt ID | O60669 |
| OMIM ID | 603654 |
| HGNC ID | 10927 |
| Aliases | MCT2, MCT 2 |
Description
SLC16A7 encodes monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2), a proton-coupled transporter of monocarboxylates such as lactate, pyruvate, and ketone bodies. MCT2 is predominantly expressed in neurons, where it mediates lactate uptake for oxidative metabolism, playing a critical role in the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle. It is also involved in metabolic coupling in other tissues including testis, kidney, and erythrocytes.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy | Altered lactate transport in neurons may contribute to seizure susceptibility and metabolic dysregulation | PMID: 21575862 |
| Glioblastoma | MCT2 overexpression facilitates lactate uptake by tumor cells, supporting growth under hypoxic conditions | PMID: 24755471 |
| Alzheimer's disease | Reduced MCT2 expression in hippocampus impairs lactate shuttle and neuronal energy supply | PMID: 25982909 |
| Breast cancer | MCT2 expression correlates with poor prognosis and metabolic reprogramming | PMID: 29367642 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Brain | 12.5 | High |
| Testis | 8.3 | Medium |
| Kidney | 6.1 | Medium |
| Liver | 1.2 | Low |
| Heart | 0.8 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) | 15.2 | High expression |
| U87MG (glioblastoma) | 9.8 | Moderate expression |
| HEK293 (embryonic kidney) | 4.5 | Low expression |
| MCF7 (breast cancer) | 7.1 | Moderate expression |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.1A>G (p.Met1?) | Missense | <0.01% | Likely loss of start codon, reduced protein expression |
| c.425C>T (p.Ala142Val) | Missense | 0.02% | Unknown functional effect; rare population variant |
| c.1048G>A (p.Gly350Ser) | Missense | 0.01% | Predicted damaging by SIFT; may alter substrate binding |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Mutations that disrupt the start codon or introduce premature stop codons likely abolish MCT2 transport activity, impairing neuronal lactate uptake.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No gain-of-function mutations have been reported for SLC16A7.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No dominant-negative mutations have been described for SLC16A7.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • GO:0015171 – amino acid transmembrane transporter activity | • GO:0015293 – symporter activity |
| • GO:0015718 – monocarboxylate transport | • GO:0015849 – lactate transport |
| • GO:0005887 – integral component of plasma membrane | • GO:0055085 – transmembrane transport |
Pathways
• Monocarboxylate transport (Reactome: R-HSA-433692)
• Astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (KEGG: map04974)
• Gluconeogenesis (KEGG: map00010)
Protein Summary
MCT2 (UniProt O60669) is a 478-amino acid transmembrane protein with 12 predicted alpha-helical domains. It functions as a proton-coupled symporter for lactate, pyruvate, and ketone bodies. MCT2 has a higher affinity for lactate (Km ~0.7 mM) compared to MCT1 and MCT4. It is expressed predominantly in neurons, where it is localized to the plasma membrane and synaptic regions. Post-translational regulation includes interaction with basigin (CD147) for proper trafficking and activity.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC16A7 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ6491 | Human | 9194 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC16A7 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDC08384 | Human | 9194 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC16A7 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ30620 | Human | 9194 | Details Get a Quote |
| SLC16A7 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ63582 | Human | 9194 | Details Get a Quote |
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