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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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ARG2
arginase 2
Chromosome 14 · 14q24.1
NCBI Gene: 384Ensembl: ENSG00000081181.9HGNC: HGNC:664UniProt: P78540
119PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
arginase activityprotein bindingnegative regulation of tumor necrosis factor productionpositive regulation of cellular senescenceAbnormal pupillary functionneoplasmcanceracute kidney injury
✦AI Summary

ARG2 (arginase 2) is a mitochondrial enzyme that catalyzes L-arginine hydrolysis to L-ornithine and urea, with primary functions in arginine bioavailability regulation and nitric oxide (NO) control 1. Unlike its hepatic counterpart ARG1, ARG2 functions mainly as a catabolic enzyme involved in polyamine and proline synthesis 1. ARG2 regulates immune responses through arginine depletion, negatively affecting CD4+ and CD8+ T cell survival and proliferation 2. Beyond enzymatic functions, ARG2 mediates non-catalytic roles in vascular biology: it inhibits endothelial autophagy and promotes endothelial cell senescence via mTORC2 signaling, independent of its enzymatic activity 1. In skeletal repair, ARG2 activation by macrophage-secreted grancalcin through plexin-B2 signaling induces skeletal stem/progenitor cell senescence and impairs fracture healing 3. ARG2 links hepatic urea and TCA cycle metabolism, with deficiency causing oxidative metabolic impairment and predisposing to fibroinflammatory liver disease 4. In diabetic kidney disease, ARG2 degradation via selective mitophagy redirects L-arginine toward NO synthesis, protecting renal function 5. ARG2 accumulation mediates contrast-induced acute kidney injury by promoting nitrosative stress through HO-1 inhibition 6. These diverse functions implicate ARG2 as a therapeutic target in metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal diseases.

Sources cited
1
ARG2 is a catabolic enzyme involved in L-ornithine, polyamine, and L-proline synthesis with roles in vascular biology and arginine bioavailability
PMID: 39952693
2
ARG2-deficiency is distinct from ARG1-deficiency and regulates arginine metabolism affecting T cell responses
PMID: 37572656
3
ARG2 activation by grancalcin-plexin-B2 signaling triggers skeletal stem/progenitor cell senescence during aging
PMID: 38267422
4
Hepatocyte ARG2 links urea and TCA cycle metabolism to oxidative metabolism and fibroinflammatory liver disease risk
PMID: 39116884
5
ARG2 degradation via selective mitophagy redirects L-arginine toward nitric oxide synthesis in diabetic kidney disease
PMID: 41376268
6
ARG2 accumulation mediates contrast-induced acute kidney injury by promoting nitrosative stress and inhibiting HO-1 expression
PMID: 37856999
Disease Associationsⓘ20
Abnormal pupillary functionOpen Targets
0.30Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
acute kidney injuryOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Patent ductus arteriosusOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
asthmaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
chronic myelogenous leukemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
histidinemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
renal fibrosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
chronic rhinosinusitisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
atherosclerosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
lumbar disc degenerationOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
SepsisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ASS1Protein interaction100%SRMProtein interaction100%ACY1Protein interaction99%OTCProtein interaction99%OATProtein interaction99%ODC1Protein interaction99%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Ovary
13%
Lung
11%
Liver
6%
Heart
5%
Bone Marrow
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
ARG2ASS1SRMACY1OTCOATODC1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB4HZE · 1.60 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.78LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.53 [0.37–0.78]
RankingsWhere ARG2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #3,954of 20,598
    Most Researched119 · top quartile
  • #6,384of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.78
Genes detectedARG2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Biochemistry, pharmacology, and in vivo function of arginases.
PMID: 39952693
Pharmacol Rev · 2025
1.00
2
Arginase 1 is a key driver of immune suppression in pancreatic cancer.
PMID: 36727849
Elife · 2023
0.90
3
Age-related secretion of grancalcin by macrophages induces skeletal stem/progenitor cell senescence during fracture healing.
PMID: 38267422
Bone Res · 2024
0.80
4
Hierarchical tricarboxylic acid cycle regulation by hepatocyte arginase 2 links the urea cycle to oxidative metabolism.
PMID: 39116884
Cell Metab · 2024
0.70
5
ESRRA-ATG5-Mediated mitophagy enhances arginine metabolism to alleviate diabetic kidney disease.
PMID: 41376268
Autophagy · 2026
0.60