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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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SLC7A6
solute carrier family 7 member 6
Chromosome 16 · 16q22.1
NCBI Gene: 9057Ensembl: ENSG00000103064.16HGNC: HGNC:11064UniProt: Q92536
42PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingarginine bindingL-arginine transmembrane transporter activityL-lysine:L-arginine antiporter activityAbnormality of the skeletal systemobesitycolorectal carcinomaurinary bladder carcinoma
✦AI Summary

SLC7A6 (y+LAT2) is a transmembrane antiporter that functions as part of the system y+L amino acid transport system 1. As a heterodimer with SLC3A2 (4F2hc), SLC7A6 mediates electroneutral, 1:1 stoichiometry exchange of cationic amino acids (L-arginine, L-lysine) for neutral amino acids (L-leucine, L-glutamine) in a sodium-independent manner, while also transporting neutral amino acids in a sodium-dependent fashion 1. This transport activity supports the glutamate-glutamine cycle and ammonia clearance 1. SLC7A6 participates in nitric oxide synthesis through L-arginine availability 2. Clinically, SLC7A6 has emerged as a significant cancer-associated transporter. Elevated SLC7A6 expression correlates with poor prognosis across multiple cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancer 2. In hepatocellular carcinoma, SLC7A6 upregulation is part of global glutamine transporter reprogramming associated with worse survival 3. SLC7A6 promotes tumor progression by enhancing amino acid uptake and mTORC1 activation 1, regulating ferroptosis through redox homeostasis disruption 2, and supporting glutamine-driven cancer metabolism 4. High SLC7A6 expression negatively correlates with CD8+ T cell infiltration in cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer 5. These findings suggest SLC7A6 as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Sources cited
1
SLC7A6 (y+LAT2) heterodimerizes with SLC3A2 to mediate sodium-independent exchange of cationic amino acids for neutral amino acids with 1:1 stoichiometry; supports glutamate-glutamine cycle and ammonia clearance
PMID: 40347950
2
SLC7A6 elevated in multiple cancer types; promotes tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion; regulates ferroptosis through GSSG transport and redox homeostasis; participates in nitric oxide synthesis
PMID: 41043754
3
SLC7A6 upregulation is part of glutamine transporter reprogramming in HCC; increased SLC7A6 predicts worse survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma
PMID: 39062801
4
RUNX2 transcriptionally regulates SLC7A6 to enhance glutamine metabolism and promote bladder cancer progression
PMID: 39733689
5
High SLC7A6 expression in cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer negatively correlates with CD8+ T cell expression; SLC7A6 inhibition combined with MAT2A knockdown overcomes cisplatin resistance
PMID: 37582769
Disease Associationsⓘ20
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.49Moderate
obesityOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
pachyonychia congenitaOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Townes-Brocks syndromeOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
hypothyroidismOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
bacteriemiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
adrenal cortex carcinomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
acute quadriplegic myopathyOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
amyotrophic lateral sclerosisOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
leukemiaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
SLC3A1Protein interaction91%SLC3A2Protein interaction91%SLC7A11Protein interaction78%SLC43A2Protein interaction60%SLC7A7Shared pathway50%SLC38A4Shared pathway33%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Heart
97%
Brain
45%
Bone Marrow
41%
Ovary
20%
Liver
11%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
SLC7A6SLC3A1SLC3A2SLC7A11SLC43A2SLC7A7SLC38A4
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB9LDR · 3.58 Å · EM
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.75LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.54 [0.39–0.75]
RankingsWhere SLC7A6 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #9,943of 20,598
    Most Researched42
  • #5,991of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.75
Genes detectedSLC7A6
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Structural characterization and functional role of SLC7A6 in GSSG transport and Ferroptosis regulation.
PMID: 41043754
Int J Biol Macromol · 2025
1.00
2
Methionine orchestrates the metabolism vulnerability in cisplatin resistant bladder cancer microenvironment.
PMID: 37582769
Cell Death Dis · 2023
0.90
3
Circular RNA circ-SLC7A6 acts as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer through abundantly sponging miR-21.
PMID: 32794418
Cell Cycle · 2020
0.80
4
STAT5A modulates CDYL2/SLC7A6 pathway to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting to mTORC1.
PMID: 35314791
Oncogene · 2022
0.70
5
Reprogramming of Glutamine Amino Acid Transporters Expression and Prognostic Significance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
PMID: 39062801
Int J Mol Sci · 2024
0.60