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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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FOLR2
folate receptor beta
Chromosome 11 · 11q13.4
NCBI Gene: 2350Ensembl: ENSG00000165457.16HGNC: HGNC:3793UniProt: P14207
62PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
ReceptorTransporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
cell surfacefolic acid transportmonocyte chemotaxisexternal side of plasma membraneneoplasmnon-small cell lung carcinomachronic kidney diseasecancer
✦AI Summary

FOLR2 (folate receptor beta) functions as a high-affinity folate binding protein that mediates cellular uptake of folate and reduced folic acid derivatives through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Beyond its canonical role in folate transport, FOLR2 serves as a critical marker for distinct macrophage populations across tissues. FOLR2+ macrophages represent tissue-resident macrophages that are maintained through self-renewal with minimal monocyte input and are among the first to emerge developmentally from yolk sac precursors 1. These FOLR2+ macrophages exhibit conserved transcriptional signatures across tissues and between mouse and human 1. In cancer contexts, FOLR2+ macrophages demonstrate complex roles depending on tissue and spatial localization. In breast cancer, FOLR2+ macrophages localize to perivascular areas, interact with CD8+ T cells, and correlate with better patient survival 2. However, in ovarian and triple-negative breast cancers, FOLR2-expressing macrophages correlate with poor clinical outcomes 3. In hepatocellular carcinoma, FOLR2+ macrophages are part of an onco-fetal reprogramming signature associated with immunosuppression and tumor progression 4 5. The spatial segregation of FOLR2+ macrophages in distinct microenvironmental niches, including plasma cell-rich areas, suggests specialized functional roles that impact cancer prognosis 6.

Sources cited
1
FOLR2+ macrophages are tissue-resident, maintained through self-renewal, and emerge early from yolk sac precursors
PMID: 34995099
2
FOLR2+ macrophages in breast cancer localize perivasculary, interact with CD8+ T cells, and correlate with better survival
PMID: 35325594
3
FOLR2-expressing macrophages correlate with poor outcomes in ovarian and triple-negative breast cancers
PMID: 38972873
4
FOLR2+ macrophages are part of onco-fetal reprogramming in hepatocellular carcinoma
PMID: 32976798
5
Onco-fetal FOLR2+ macrophages are associated with relapse and immunotherapy response in HCC
PMID: 38168935
6
FOLR2+ macrophages reside in spatially segregated niches including plasma cell-rich areas
PMID: 38552005
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
chronic kidney diseaseOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
viral diseaseOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
rheumatoid arthritisOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Invasive Breast CarcinomaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Barrett's esophagusOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
chronic lymphocytic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Acute hepatic failureOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
pachyonychia congenitaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
acute lymphoblastic leukemiaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathyOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
VSIG4Protein interaction84%C1QAProtein interaction82%FOLH1Protein interaction78%PCBP1Protein interaction75%SLC46A1Protein interaction57%SLC25A32Shared pathway33%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Lung
58%
Bone Marrow
26%
Ovary
21%
Liver
20%
Brain
17%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
FOLR2VSIG4C1QAFOLH1PCBP1SLC46A1SLC25A32
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB4KMY · 1.80 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.95LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.61 [0.40–0.95]
RankingsWhere FOLR2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #7,458of 20,598
    Most Researched62
  • #8,948of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.95
Genes detectedFOLR2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Onco-fetal Reprogramming of Endothelial Cells Drives Immunosuppressive Macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
PMID: 32976798
Cell · 2020
1.00
2
Tissue-resident FOLR2
PMID: 35325594
Cell · 2022
0.90
3
Spatially Segregated Macrophage Populations Predict Distinct Outcomes in Colon Cancer.
PMID: 38552005
Cancer Discov · 2024
0.80
4
Three tissue resident macrophage subsets coexist across organs with conserved origins and life cycles.
PMID: 34995099
Sci Immunol · 2022
0.70
5
Presence of onco-fetal neighborhoods in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with relapse and response to immunotherapy.
PMID: 38168935
Nat Cancer · 2024
0.60