HomeAboutRankingsData Sources
© 2026 GeneE
🧬
GeneE
10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
ⓘGeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
SLC16A3
solute carrier family 16 member 3
Chromosome 17 · 17q25.3
NCBI Gene: 9123Ensembl: ENSG00000141526.19HGNC: HGNC:10924UniProt: O15427
76PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
pyruvate transmembrane transportplasma membranebasolateral plasma membranelactate transmembrane transportnon-small cell lung carcinomaneoplasmlung adenocarcinomahepatocellular carcinoma
✦AI Summary

SLC16A3 (MCT4) is a proton-dependent transporter of monocarboxylates, particularly L-lactate and pyruvate, expressed on both apical and basolateral plasma membranes 1. The protein contains 12 transmembrane helices and requires association with basigin for proper cell surface expression and activity 1. SLC16A3 plays a predominant role in lactate efflux from highly glycolytic cells, facilitating metabolic adaptation during energy-demanding processes. In skeletal muscle, SLC16A3 exhibits epigenetic memory following high-intensity interval training, with retained hypomethylation and increased expression persisting through detraining periods, contributing to lactate transport capacity 2. In cancer pathology, SLC16A3 emerges as a critical mediator of immunosuppression. Elevated expression correlates with poor prognosis across multiple cancers and reduced CD8+ T-cell infiltration 34. In hepatocellular carcinoma, SLC16A3 overexpression in tumor-promoting macrophages and tumor cells drives immune escape by promoting lactic acid efflux, leading to T-cell dysfunction and exhaustion 5. In intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, mutant KRAS cooperatively activates SLC16A3 through the PI3K-AKT-mTORC1-HIF1α pathway, with CK2-mediated phosphorylation at S436 being critical for oncogenic function 6. Pharmacological or genetic SLC16A3 inhibition reduces lactate production, restores anti-PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy, and enhances antitumor immunity 78, positioning SLC16A3 as a promising therapeutic target for immunotherapy-resistant malignancies.

Sources cited
1
SLC16A3 encodes MCT4, a monocarboxylate transporter with 12 transmembrane helices requiring basigin for activity
PMID: 23506875
2
SLC16A3 shows epigenetic memory in skeletal muscle after HIIT, with retained hypomethylation and increased expression
PMID: 39570634
3
SLC16A3 is a prognostic biomarker associated with metabolic reprogramming in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
PMID: 34971568
4
SLC16A3 overexpression promotes immune suppression via loss of T-cell function and is enriched at tumor invasion fronts
PMID: 39656344
5
SLC16A3 is upregulated across most cancers and correlates with poor overall survival and immune checkpoint genes
PMID: 40301866
6
Mutant KRAS elevates SLC16A3 via PI3K-AKT-mTORC1-HIF1α pathway; CK2 phosphorylation at S436 drives iCCA progression
PMID: 39854318
7
SLC16A3 inhibition reduces lactic acid efflux, restores CD8+ T-cell function, and enhances anti-PD-1 efficacy
PMID: 38522774
8
ALKBH5 modulates SLC16A3/MCT4 expression to regulate lactate content and immunosuppressive cell accumulation
PMID: 32747553
Disease Associationsⓘ20
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.21Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.12Weak
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.11Weak
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.11Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
inflammatory bowel diseaseOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
nonpapillary renal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
acute myeloid leukemiaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
ischemiaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
melanomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
SLC2A1Protein interaction100%CD44Protein interaction99%BSGProtein interaction93%EMBProtein interaction93%CA9Protein interaction88%CBLL1Protein interaction83%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Bone Marrow
12%
Ovary
8%
Liver
8%
Brain
7%
Heart
5%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
SLC16A3SLC2A1CD44BSGEMBCA9CBLL1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt O15427
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.40LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.99 [0.71–1.40]
RankingsWhere SLC16A3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #6,286of 20,598
    Most Researched76
  • #14,518of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.40
Genes detectedSLC16A3
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Proteogenomic characterization identifies clinically relevant subgroups of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
PMID: 34971568
Cancer Cell · 2022
1.00
2
Integrated Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptome Reveal Metabolic Gene SLC16A3 as a Key Regulator of Immune Suppression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
PMID: 39656344
J Cell Mol Med · 2024
0.90
3
The SLC16 gene family - structure, role and regulation in health and disease.
PMID: 23506875
Mol Aspects Med · 2013
0.80
4
Targeting tumor-intrinsic SLC16A3 to enhance anti-PD-1 efficacy via tumor immune microenvironment reprogramming.
PMID: 38522774
Cancer Lett · 2024
0.70
5
Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis identified SLC16A3 as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker.
PMID: 40301866
Cancer Cell Int · 2025
0.60