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25 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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SLIT2
slit guidance ligand 2
Chromosome 4 · 4p15.31
NCBI Gene: 9353Ensembl: ENSG00000145147.21HGNC: HGNC:11086UniProt: O94813
217PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
2Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Highly Constrained
RESEARCH IMPACT
Trending
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
proteoglycan bindingnegative regulation of neutrophil chemotaxisnegative regulation of small GTPase mediated signal transductionresponse to cortisolcongenital hydronephrosiscongenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tracttype 2 diabetes mellitusosteoarthritis
✦AI Summary

SLIT2 is a secreted axon-guidance ligand that functions as a molecular repellent controlling cellular migration through interaction with roundabout (ROBO) receptors 1. During neural development, SLIT2 acts as a repulsive signal preventing inappropriate midline crossing by axons in the forebrain and spinal cord, and directs retinal ganglion axons along appropriate paths in the developing visual system. In the spinal cord, SLIT2 modulates commissural axon responses to netrin by silencing its attractive effects through ROBO1-DCC complex formation 2. The protein exhibits differential N- and C-terminal activities: the N-product repels olfactory bulb axons while inducing branching in dorsal root ganglia axons. Beyond neural development, SLIT2 regulates immune cell migration and pathological fibrosis. In liver fibrosis, elevated SLIT2-ROBO1 signaling promotes hepatic stellate cell activation through Smad2/3 and PI3K-AKT phosphorylation, independent of TGF-β1 1. In cancer contexts, SLIT2 functions distinctly based on cellular source: tumor-derived SLIT2 activates nociceptive neurons to suppress tumor immunity 3, while endothelial SLIT2 promotes cancer cell intravasation 4. In glioblastoma, tumor-derived SLIT2 recruits macrophages via ROBO1/2-PI3K-γ signaling, driving immunosuppression 5. SLIT2 also regulates fibroblast phenotypes in inflammatory contexts 6. These findings establish SLIT2 as a multifunctional guidance molecule with context-dependent roles in development, immunity, and disease pathogenesis.

Sources cited
1
Cancer cells secrete SLIT2 through ATF4-dependent pathway to activate nociceptive neurons, suppress tumor-draining lymph node immunity, and evade immunotherapy
PMID: 41138728
2
SLIT2 expression in tumor vasculature enhances tumor innervation and drives metastasis through neuronal substance P signaling
PMID: 39112700
3
SLIT2 is identified as an Aβ-correlated protein in Alzheimer's disease brain proteomics analysis
PMID: 31926610
4
Remodeled cancer-associated fibroblasts regulate tumor microenvironment through SLIT2 secretion to suppress tumor progression
PMID: 37852187
5
SLIT2-ROBO1 signaling promotes liver fibrosis by activating hepatic stellate cells through Smad2/3 and PI3K-AKT phosphorylation
PMID: 26264936
6
Endothelial SLIT2 is induced by tumor-derived dsRNA via TLR3 and promotes cancer cell intravasation through ROBO1 signaling
PMID: 32999457
7
Tumor-derived SLIT2 activates microglia/macrophages via ROBO1/2-PI3K-γ signaling to drive glioblastoma immunosuppression and impair immunotherapy
PMID: 34181595
8
CD34- orbital fibroblasts expressing SLIT2 suppress the phenotype of CD34+ orbital fibroblasts in Graves' orbitopathy
PMID: 36742308
Disease Associationsⓘ20
congenital hydronephrosisOpen Targets
0.46Moderate
congenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tractOpen Targets
0.45Moderate
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.39Weak
osteoarthritisOpen Targets
0.34Weak
Abnormality of the immune systemOpen Targets
0.32Weak
ocular hypotensionOpen Targets
0.30Weak
adolescent idiopathic scoliosisOpen Targets
0.30Weak
ovarian neoplasmOpen Targets
0.29Weak
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardiaOpen Targets
0.29Weak
Abruptio PlacentaeOpen Targets
0.28Weak
schizophreniaOpen Targets
0.28Weak
gram-negative bacterial infectionsOpen Targets
0.27Weak
substance abuseOpen Targets
0.27Weak
smoking initiationOpen Targets
0.26Weak
attention deficit hyperactivity disorderOpen Targets
0.24Weak
placenta praeviaOpen Targets
0.24Weak
response to stimulusOpen Targets
0.20Weak
Hallux valgusOpen Targets
0.20Weak
diabetic ketoacidosisOpen Targets
0.20Weak
femur fractureOpen Targets
0.16Weak
Pathogenic Variants2
NM_004787.4(SLIT2):c.292G>A (p.Ala98Thr)Pathogenic
Congenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tract
☆☆☆☆2015→ Residue 98
NM_004787.4(SLIT2):c.2712A>T (p.Lys904Asn)Pathogenic
Congenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tract
☆☆☆☆2015→ Residue 904
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
CXCR4Protein interaction100%ROBO4Protein interaction100%GPC1Protein interaction94%ROBO3Protein interaction87%RHOAProtein interaction84%DCCProtein interaction82%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Lung
100%
Brain
50%
Heart
36%
Ovary
16%
Liver
4%
Bone Marrow
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
SLIT2CXCR4ROBO4GPC1ROBO3RHOADCC
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2V9T · 1.70 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.23Highly Constrained
pLIⓘ
1.00Intolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.15 [0.11–0.23]
RankingsWhere SLIT2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,911of 20,598
    Most Researched217 · top 10%
  • #4,236of 5,498
    Most Pathogenic Variants2
  • #610of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.23 · top 5%
Genes detectedSLIT2
Sources retrieved25 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
25▼
1
Cancer cells co-opt an inter-organ neuroimmune circuit to escape immune surveillance.
PMID: 41138728
Cell · 2025
1.00
2
Neuronal substance P drives metastasis through an extracellular RNA-TLR7 axis.
PMID: 39112700
Nature · 2024
0.90
3
Deep Multilayer Brain Proteomics Identifies Molecular Networks in Alzheimer's Disease Progression.
PMID: 31926610
Neuron · 2020
0.80
4
Cancer-associated fibroblasts undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy suppress rectal cancer revealed by single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.
PMID: 37852187
Cell Rep Med · 2023
0.70
5
Exosomal miR-4745-5p/3911 from N2-polarized tumor-associated neutrophils promotes gastric cancer metastasis by regulating SLIT2.
PMID: 39272149
Mol Cancer · 2024
0.60