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.
SLC44A5
solute carrier family 44 member 5
Chromosome 1 · 1p31.1
NCBI Gene: 204962Ensembl: ENSG00000137968.17HGNC: HGNC:28524UniProt: B7Z5Y4
20PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingcholine transmembrane transporter activitycholine transportplasma membraneself-injurious ideationWheezingAbnormality of the skeletal systemcholelithiasis
✦AI Summary

SLC44A5 encodes a choline transporter that facilitates choline transport across cell membranes with a Km value of approximately 12-50 µM, aligning with physiological plasma choline concentrations 1. Functionally, the protein regulates choline efflux from cells and modulates cell proliferation, with knockdown studies demonstrating reduced choline efflux and increased cell proliferation, while overexpression produces opposite effects 2. SLC44A5 is significantly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and non-invasive lung adenocarcinoma lesions 34. In hepatocellular carcinoma, SLC44A5 knockdown inhibits cell viability, induces G1 cell cycle arrest, promotes apoptosis, and suppresses invasion 3. The gene shows evidence of natural selection in British populations over 4,500 years, with significant changes in predicted expression levels 56. Clinically, SLC44A5 variants affect birth weight in cattle, with reduced expression associated with larger birth size due to enhanced cell proliferation 2. The transporter is sensitive to inhibition by hemicholinium-3, decynium-22, and verapamil 1. SLC44A5 represents a potential therapeutic target in cancer treatment and may serve as a neoantigen in immunotherapy approaches 37.

Sources cited
1
SLC44A5 has Km values of 12-50 µM for choline transport and is sensitive to specific inhibitors
PMID: 40972734
2
SLC44A5 regulates choline efflux and cell proliferation, affecting birth weight in cattle
PMID: 22815983
3
SLC44A5 is upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and its knockdown inhibits cancer cell functions
PMID: 27082540
4
SLC44A5 expression is significantly upregulated in non-invasive lung adenocarcinoma lesions
PMID: 35067776
5
SLC44A5 shows evidence of natural selection with changes in expression over 4,500 years in Britain
PMID: 37904954
6
Confirms natural selection findings for SLC44A5 expression changes in British populations
PMID: 38466119
7
SLC44A5 peptide can serve as a neoantigen in cancer immunotherapy
PMID: 35211402
Disease Associationsⓘ20
self-injurious ideationOpen Targets
0.37Weak
WheezingOpen Targets
0.36Weak
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.28Weak
cholelithiasisOpen Targets
0.26Weak
liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.25Weak
duodenal ulcerOpen Targets
0.24Weak
spondylolisthesisOpen Targets
0.23Weak
central nervous system infectionOpen Targets
0.22Weak
nephrotic syndromeOpen Targets
0.22Weak
contractureOpen Targets
0.20Weak
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.19Weak
skin agingOpen Targets
0.15Weak
Blackfan-Diamond anemiaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Cerebral degenerationOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
inosine triphosphatase deficiencyOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
alpha thalassemia-intellectual disability syndrome type 1Open Targets
0.07Suggestive
Alpha-thalassemia - intellectual disability syndrome linked to chromosome 16Open Targets
0.07Suggestive
hemolytic anemia due to adenylate kinase deficiencyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Heinz body anemiaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin-sickle cell disease syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
SLC44A3Shared pathway100%SLC44A4Shared pathway75%SLC44A2Shared pathway75%SLC44A1Shared pathway75%SLC5A7Shared pathway33%SLC10A2Shared pathway33%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Ovary
36%
Brain
25%
Bone Marrow
19%
Liver
11%
Lung
4%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
SLC44A5SLC44A3SLC44A4SLC44A2SLC44A1SLC5A7SLC10A2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q8NCS7
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.86LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.63 [0.47–0.86]
RankingsWhere SLC44A5 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #14,268of 20,598
    Most Researched20
  • #7,602of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.86
Genes detectedSLC44A5
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Gene expression profiling using targeted RNA-sequencing to elucidate the progression from histologically normal lung tissues to non-invasive lesions in invasive lung adenocarcinoma.
PMID: 35067776
Virchows Arch · 2022
1.00
2
The molecular effects of a polymorphism in the 5'UTR of solute carrier family 44, member 5 that is associated with birth weight in Holsteins.
PMID: 22815983
PLoS One · 2012
0.90
3
Knockdown by shRNA identifies SLC44A5 as a potential therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma.
PMID: 27082540
Mol Med Rep · 2016
0.80
4
Diversity of human choline transporters: substrate specificity, kinetic properties, and inhibitor sensitivity.
PMID: 40972734
Biochem Pharmacol · 2025
0.70
5
Case Report: Pathological Complete Response in a Lung Metastasis of Phyllodes Tumor Patient Following Treatment Containing Peptide Neoantigen Nano-Vaccine.
PMID: 35211402
Front Oncol · 2022
0.60