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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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VAV2
vav guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2
Chromosome 9 · 9q34.2
NCBI Gene: 7410Ensembl: ENSG00000160293.18HGNC: HGNC:12658UniProt: P52735
142PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
phosphotyrosine residue bindingguanyl-nucleotide exchange factor activityprotein bindingsmall GTPase-mediated signal transductioncutaneous Leishmaniasisopen-angle glaucomaglaucomahypertension
✦AI Summary

VAV2 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates Rac1 and other Rho family GTPases, serving as a central signaling hub in multiple cellular processes 1. VAV2 functions primarily through phosphotyrosine-dependent recruitment to activated receptor tyrosine kinases, including EGFR and Fc-gamma receptors, where it catalyzes GTP loading onto small G-proteins to regulate cell migration, proliferation, and cytoskeletal remodeling 2. Beyond its canonical GEF activity, VAV2 participates in DNA damage repair by facilitating Ku70/Ku80 complex formation during non-homologous end joining 3. Functionally, VAV2 exhibits context-dependent roles: it promotes physiological insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells but also mediates metabolic stress-induced cellular dysfunction 1. In cancer, VAV2 is frequently overexpressed and drives multiple hallmarks including proliferation, migration, and therapeutic resistance 24. Clinically, VAV2 represents an attractive therapeutic target; its inhibition reverses antibody-induced desmoplasia in breast cancer 5, improves radiotherapy sensitivity in esophageal cancer 3, and enhances immunotherapy efficacy in pancreatic cancer 6. VAV2 overexpression correlates with poor clinical prognosis in prostate cancer 2, and notably, VAV2 can exist on extrachromosomal circular DNA, contributing to therapeutic resistance mechanisms 4.

Sources cited
1
VAV2 is the foremost mediator of EGFR-induced Rac1 GTP loading in prostate cancer; VAV2 overexpression correlates with poor clinical prognosis
PMID: 40183768
2
VAV2 is required for Ku70/Ku80 complex formation and DNA repair; overexpression contributes to radiotherapy resistance in esophageal cancer
PMID: 34462423
3
VAV2 activation in CD16+ fibroblasts via SYK-VAV2-RhoA-ROCK pathway mediates antibody resistance; VAV2 inhibition reverses desmoplasia
PMID: 36379207
4
VAV2 on extrachromosomal circular DNA promotes prostate cancer proliferation and metastasis; contributes to Enzalutamide resistance via AR/ARv7 stabilization
PMID: 40303312
5
VAV2 is a GEF for Rac1 in pancreatic β-cells; promotes physiological insulin secretion but also mediates dysfunction under metabolic stress
PMID: 28202288
6
VAV2 activation in CD64+ cancer-associated fibroblasts via SYK-VAV2-RhoA pathway enhances desmoplasia and limits immunotherapy efficacy in pancreatic cancer
PMID: 39187291
7
VAV2/Rac-1 signaling pathway mediates synoviocyte hyperplasia and migration in rheumatoid arthritis downstream of vimentin
PMID: 39369957
8
VAV2 is a widely expressed homologue of VAV oncogene on chromosome 9q34; both alleles expressed in normal tissues with no TSC1 mutations
PMID: 7762982
Disease Associationsⓘ20
cutaneous LeishmaniasisOpen Targets
0.50Moderate
open-angle glaucomaOpen Targets
0.40Weak
glaucomaOpen Targets
0.38Weak
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.36Weak
ThromboembolismOpen Targets
0.33Weak
Abnormal sputumOpen Targets
0.30Weak
type 1 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.28Weak
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.19Weak
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.19Weak
esophageal ulcerOpen Targets
0.18Weak
sialolithiasisOpen Targets
0.17Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
esophageal squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
posterior cortical atrophyOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
breast ductal carcinoma in situOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Familial ocular anterior segment mesenchymal dysgenesisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
congenital glaucomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
isolated agammaglobulinemiaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
combined immunodeficiency with skin granulomasOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
GRB2Protein interaction100%BTKProtein interaction100%ZAP70Protein interaction100%PIK3R3Protein interaction100%PIK3CDProtein interaction100%PIK3CAProtein interaction100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Brain
52%
Lung
35%
Heart
16%
Bone Marrow
14%
Ovary
12%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
VAV2GRB2BTKZAP70PIK3R3PIK3CDPIK3CA
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB4ROJ · 1.95 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.62LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.51 [0.41–0.62]
RankingsWhere VAV2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #3,241of 20,598
    Most Researched142 · top quartile
  • #4,368of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.62 · top quartile
Genes detectedVAV2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
CD16
PMID: 36379207
Cancer Cell · 2022
1.00
2
VAV2 is required for DNA repair and implicated in cancer radiotherapy resistance.
PMID: 34462423
Signal Transduct Target Ther · 2021
0.90
3
Columbianadin ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis by attenuating synoviocyte hyperplasia through targeted vimentin to inhibit the VAV2/Rac-1 signaling pathway.
PMID: 39369957
J Adv Res · 2025
0.80
4
Tiam1/Vav2-Rac1 axis: A tug-of-war between islet function and dysfunction.
PMID: 28202288
Biochem Pharmacol · 2017
0.70
5
VAV2 Drives EGFR-Mediated Rac1 Responses in Prostate Cancer.
PMID: 40183768
Mol Cancer Res · 2025
0.60