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GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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EMC2
ER membrane protein complex subunit 2
Chromosome 8 · 8q23.1
NCBI Gene: 9694Ensembl: ENSG00000104412.9HGNC: HGNC:28963UniProt: Q15006
101PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
membrane insertase activityprotein bindingprotein insertion into ER membrane by stop-transfer membrane-anchor sequencetail-anchored membrane protein insertion into ER membraneneurodegenerative diseasesmoking initiationasthmaandrogenetic alopecia
✦AI Summary

EMC2 (ER membrane protein complex subunit 2) is a critical subunit of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein complex that mediates energy-independent insertion of newly synthesized membrane proteins into the ER membrane 123456. The protein preferentially accommodates membrane proteins with weakly hydrophobic transmembrane domains or destabilizing features, including charged and aromatic residues 12. EMC2 facilitates both cotranslational insertion of multi-pass membrane proteins and post-translational insertion of tail-anchored proteins, controlling the topology of G protein-coupled receptors through N-exo oriented insertion 3. Beyond its canonical ER insertion function, EMC2 has emerged as a key driver of breast cancer progression. EMC2 is upregulated in breast cancer and correlates with shortened patient survival 78. In triple-negative breast cancer, EMC2 promotes growth by stabilizing FDFT1 (farnesyltransferase 1) through interaction with HSP90, thereby increasing cholesterol biosynthesis and reducing ferroptosis susceptibility 8. In broader breast cancer contexts, EMC2 functions as a scaffold protein recruiting USP7 to deubiquitinate ENO1, activating the PDK1/AKT/mTOR signaling cascade 7. Epigenetic studies identified EMC2 methylation changes with causal evidence linking to acute coronary syndrome risk 9, suggesting broader disease relevance beyond malignancy. EMC2 represents a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment and PDK1/AKT inhibitor sensitivity.

Sources cited
1
EMC2 enables energy-independent membrane protein insertion and accommodates weakly hydrophobic proteins; supports tail-anchored protein insertion
PMID: 29242231
2
EMC2 role in cotranslational and post-translational membrane protein insertion; substrate preference for weakly hydrophobic domains
PMID: 29809151
3
EMC2 mediates cotranslational insertion of multi-pass proteins; controls topology with N-exo orientation
PMID: 30415835
4
EMC2 function in ER membrane protein complex-mediated protein insertion
PMID: 32439656
5
EMC2 function in ER membrane protein complex-mediated protein insertion
PMID: 32459176
6
WNK1 stabilizes EMC2 soluble subunit; EMC2 is essential component of ER membrane protein complex
PMID: 33964204
7
EMC2 methylation shows causal evidence for acute coronary syndrome risk via Mendelian randomization
PMID: 39198424
8
EMC2 upregulated in breast cancer; promotes proliferation/metastasis via PDK1/AKT pathway; acts as scaffold for USP7-mediated ENO1 deubiquitination
PMID: 40303285
9
EMC2 highly expressed in TNBC; protects FDFT1 from ERAD via HSP90 interaction; increases cholesterol biosynthesis and suppresses ferroptosis
PMID: 40931051
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.54Moderate
smoking initiationOpen Targets
0.37Weak
asthmaOpen Targets
0.35Weak
androgenetic alopeciaOpen Targets
0.31Weak
gastroesophageal reflux diseaseOpen Targets
0.30Weak
tuberculosisOpen Targets
0.30Weak
ovarian dysfunctionOpen Targets
0.30Weak
facial morphologyOpen Targets
0.29Weak
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseOpen Targets
0.29Weak
polyp of colonOpen Targets
0.29Weak
lumbar disc herniationOpen Targets
0.27Weak
Palmar FibromatosisOpen Targets
0.26Weak
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.22Weak
lysosomal storage diseaseOpen Targets
0.22Weak
multiple sclerosisOpen Targets
0.22Weak
Parkinson diseaseOpen Targets
0.22Weak
preeclampsiaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
nasopharyngeal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
EMC9Protein interaction100%EMC4Protein interaction100%EMC8Protein interaction100%EMC7Protein interaction100%EMC3Protein interaction94%DERL2Protein interaction90%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Brain
92%
Lung
52%
Liver
48%
Ovary
45%
Bone Marrow
26%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
EMC2EMC9EMC4EMC8EMC7EMC3DERL2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB6Y4L · 2.20 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.84LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.23 [0.76–1.84]
RankingsWhere EMC2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #4,715of 20,598
    Most Researched101 · top quartile
  • #16,769of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.84
Genes detectedEMC2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in blood reveals epigenetic signature of incident acute coronary syndrome.
PMID: 39198424
Nat Commun · 2024
1.00
2
The PARTNER trial of neoadjuvant olaparib with chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.
PMID: 38588696
Nature · 2024
0.90
3
EMC2 promotes breast cancer progression and enhances sensitivity to PDK1/AKT inhibition by deubiquitinating ENO1.
PMID: 40303285
Int J Biol Sci · 2025
0.80
4
EMC2 promotes triple negative breast cancer growth by protecting FDFT1 from endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation to impair ferroptosis susceptibility.
PMID: 40931051
Oncogene · 2025
0.70
5
Establishment, characterization and functional testing of two novel ex vivo extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) cell models.
PMID: 36316541
Hum Cell · 2023
0.60