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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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MAL2
mal, T cell differentiation protein 2
Chromosome 8 · 8q24.12
NCBI Gene: 114569Ensembl: ENSG00000147676.15HGNC: HGNC:13634UniProt: Q969L2
50PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
membrane raftextracellular exosomeprotein bindingmyelinationcholelithiasishypertensionendocrine system diseasemultiple sclerosis
✦AI Summary

MAL2 (myelin and lymphocyte protein 2) is a tetra-transmembrane protein that functions as a component of polarized protein transport machinery in epithelial cells 1. Structurally, MAL2 localizes to membrane rafts and facilitates the indirect transcytotic route, mediating basolateral-to-apical protein transport via raft-dependent mechanisms involving redistribution from perinuclear endosomes 2. MAL2 interacts with multiple trafficking regulators including Rab17 and contains EVH1 recognition motifs that coordinate selective protein redistribution 3. Beyond canonical transport functions, MAL2 has emerged as a significant oncogene in multiple cancers. In intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, MAL2 directly interacts with EGFR to stabilize its membrane localization and activates the PI3K/AKT/SREBP-1 axis, promoting lipid accumulation and conferring cisplatin resistance 4. High MAL2 expression predicts poor prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, correlating with increased proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition 56. MAL2 is also a component of diagnostic signatures for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma detection in plasma extracellular vesicles 7. These findings position MAL2 as both a fundamental trafficking protein and a promising therapeutic target across malignancies.

Sources cited
1
MAL2 is an essential component of machinery for the indirect transcytotic route mediating apical transport in epithelial cells
PMID: 15168355
2
MAL2 localizes to membrane rafts and subapical endosome compartments positive for Rab11a in thyroid epithelial cells
PMID: 14576188
3
MAL2 and Rab17 selectively redistribute invadopodia proteins via EVH1 recognition motifs and GTP-dependent mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma
PMID: 39813085
4
MAL2 directly interacts with EGFR, stabilizes its membrane localization, and activates PI3K/AKT/SREBP-1 axis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, promoting lipid accumulation and cisplatin resistance
PMID: 38866777
5
High MAL2 expression is independently associated with shorter 5-year survival rates in triple-negative breast cancer patients
PMID: 38769215
6
MAL2 deletion negatively regulates proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in ovarian cancer cells
PMID: 35111745
7
MAL2 is a component of an eight-gene extracellular vesicle RNA signature for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma detection with high diagnostic accuracy
PMID: 31562239
Disease Associationsⓘ20
cholelithiasisOpen Targets
0.34Weak
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.33Weak
endocrine system diseaseOpen Targets
0.33Weak
multiple sclerosisOpen Targets
0.32Weak
chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polypsOpen Targets
0.31Weak
chronic bronchitisOpen Targets
0.31Weak
ovarian dysfunctionOpen Targets
0.26Weak
acute tonsillitisOpen Targets
0.23Weak
obesityOpen Targets
0.16Weak
radius fractureOpen Targets
0.14Weak
ulna fractureOpen Targets
0.14Weak
gallstonesOpen Targets
0.13Weak
HematemesisOpen Targets
0.12Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
ovarian neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
bladder transitional cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ZNF24Shared pathway100%BCAS1Shared pathway100%SBF2Shared pathway100%MARVELD1Shared pathway100%CMTM8Shared pathway100%TPD52Protein interaction92%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Brain
63%
Lung
40%
Heart
5%
Ovary
1%
Bone Marrow
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
MAL2ZNF24BCAS1SBF2MARVELD1CMTM8TPD52
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q969L2
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.60LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.07 [0.73–1.60]
RankingsWhere MAL2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #8,838of 20,598
    Most Researched50
  • #15,666of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.60
Genes detectedMAL2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
MAL2 reprograms lipid metabolism in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma via EGFR/SREBP-1 pathway based on single-cell RNA sequencing.
PMID: 38866777
Cell Death Dis · 2024
1.00
2
Expression of MAL and MAL2, two elements of the protein machinery for raft-mediated transport, in normal and neoplastic human tissue.
PMID: 15168355
Histol Histopathol · 2004
0.90
3
MAL2 and rab17 selectively redistribute invadopodia proteins to laterally-induced protrusions in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
PMID: 39813085
Mol Biol Cell · 2025
0.80
4
Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase STK16.
PMID: 30974739
Int J Mol Sci · 2019
0.70
5
Expression and distribution of MAL2, an essential element of the machinery for basolateral-to-apical transcytosis, in human thyroid epithelial cells.
PMID: 14576188
Endocrinology · 2004
0.60