SLC38A5 Gene

HGNC Family	Solute carriers (SLC)
Name	solute carrier family 38, member 5
Description	The protein encoded by this gene is a system N sodium-coupled amino acid transporter. The encoded protein transports glutamine, asparagine, histidine, serine, alanine, and glycine across the cell membrane, but does not transport charged amino acids, imino acids, or N-alkylated amino acids. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants, but the full-length nature of some of these variants has not been determined. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2013]
Summary	{"type": "root", "children": [{"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nSLC38A5, also known as SNAT5, is a system N transporter that facilitates the bidirectional, sodium‐dependent movement of neutral amino acids—including glutamine, asparagine, histidine, serine, glycine, and alanine—via coupled Na⁺ symport and H⁺ antiport mechanisms. Its activity is finely tuned by nutrient status and key signaling pathways such as mTORC1 and Wnt/β-catenin, and it is sensitive to changes in pH, inflammation, and hypoxia. Altered expression of SLC38A5 has been observed in various pathological conditions, highlighting its role not just in amino acid homeostasis but also in diverse disease contexts."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "1"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nBeyond its metabolic functions, SLC38A5 is implicated in developmental and neurodevelopmental processes. In the placenta, proper SLC38A5 expression is critical for efficient maternofetal nutrient transfer, with dysregulation potentially contributing to gestational disorders such as intrauterine growth restriction and pre‐eclampsia. Additionally, interstitial microdeletions encompassing the SLC38A5 gene have been identified in patients with moderate to severe intellectual disability, although its precise contribution to the phenotype remains to be fully defined."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "2"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nIn the realm of cancer biology and angiogenesis, SLC38A5 appears to fulfill crucial roles in meeting the elevated amino acid demands of rapidly proliferating cells. In triple-negative breast cancer, selective up-regulation of SLC38A5 promotes amino acid-induced macropinocytosis, thereby augmenting nutrient uptake and supporting tumor cell proliferation. Likewise, within retinal vascular endothelial cells, SLC38A5 facilitates the uptake of key amino acids—such as glutamine—that fuel endothelial cell metabolism and angiogenic sprouting, with its transcription being positively regulated by Wnt/β-catenin signaling."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_f", "ref": "4"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "t", "text": "\n\n"}, {"type": "p", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "\nMoreover, compelling evidence places SLC38A5 at the center of pancreatic cancer pathophysiology and inflammatory disorders. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, elevated SLC38A5 expression sustains tumor metabolism via activation of mTORC1, glycolysis, and mitochondrial respiration, with its genetic deletion inducing amino acid insufficiency and triggering a metabolic crisis. Its overexpression in gemcitabine-resistant PDAC further underscores its role in chemoresistance by impairing glutamine uptake and triggering ferroptotic cell death pathways. In parallel, within psoriatic lesions, SLC38A5 is predominantly expressed in dendritic cells where it potentiates lysosomal acidification, thereby promoting the activation of toll-like receptor 7 and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines."}, {"type": "fg", "children": [{"type": "fg_fs", "start_ref": "6", "end_ref": "8"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": ""}]}, {"type": "rg", "children": [{"type": "r", "ref": 1, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Giuseppe Taurino, Martina Chiu, Massimiliano G Bianchi, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "The "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "i"}], "href": "i"}, {"type": "t", "text": "SLC38A5"}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "/i"}], "href": "/i"}, {"type": "t", "text": "/SNAT5 amino acid transporter: from pathophysiology to pro-cancer roles in the tumor microenvironment."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Am J Physiol Cell Physiol (2023)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1152/ajpcell.00169.2023"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00169.2023"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "37458433"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458433"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 2, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Guy Froyen, Marijke Bauters, Jackie Boyle, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Loss of SLC38A5 and FTSJ1 at Xp11.23 in three brothers with non-syndromic mental retardation due to a microdeletion in an unstable genomic region."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Hum Genet (2007)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1007/s00439-007-0343-1"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-007-0343-1"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "17333282"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17333282"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 3, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Xiao Huang, Pascale Anderle, Lu Hostettler, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Identification of placental nutrient transporters associated with intrauterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "BMC Genomics (2018)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1186/s12864-018-4518-z"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-018-4518-z"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "29499643"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29499643"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 4, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sabarish Ramachandran, Souad R Sennoune, Monica Sharma, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Expression and function of SLC38A5, an amino acid-coupled Na+/H+ exchanger, in triple-negative breast cancer and its relevance to macropinocytosis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Biochem J (2021)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1042/BCJ20210585"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20210585"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "34704597"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34704597"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 5, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Zhongxiao Wang, Felix Yemanyi, Alexandra K Blomfield, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Amino acid transporter SLC38A5 regulates developmental and pathological retinal angiogenesis."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Elife (2022)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.7554/eLife.73105"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73105"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "36454214"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36454214"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 6, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Leqing Zhu, Xichun Xia, Guangqiang Li, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "SLC38A5 aggravates DC-mediated psoriasiform skin inflammation via potentiating lysosomal acidification."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cell Rep (2023)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112910"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112910"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "37531255"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37531255"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 7, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Tyler Sniegowski, Devaraja Rajasekaran, Souad R Sennoune, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Amino acid transporter SLC38A5 is a tumor promoter and a novel therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Sci Rep (2023)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.1038/s41598-023-43983-1"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43983-1"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "37803043"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37803043"}]}, {"type": "r", "ref": 8, "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Myeong Jin Kim, Hyung Sun Kim, Hyeon Woong Kang, et al. "}, {"type": "b", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "SLC38A5 Modulates Ferroptosis to Overcome Gemcitabine Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer."}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " "}, {"type": "i", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "Cells (2023)"}]}, {"type": "t", "text": " DOI: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "10.3390/cells12202509"}], "href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12202509"}, {"type": "t", "text": " PMID: "}, {"type": "a", "children": [{"type": "t", "text": "37887353"}], "href": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37887353"}]}]}]}
Synonyms	SN2, SNAT5, PP7194, JM24
Proteins	S38A5_HUMAN
NCBI Gene ID	92745
API
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Predicted Functions
Co-expressed Genes
Expression in Tissues and Cell Lines

Functional Associations

SLC38A5 has 4,415 functional associations with biological entities spanning 9 categories (molecular profile, organism, functional term, phrase or reference, disease, phenotype or trait, chemical, structural feature, cell line, cell type or tissue, gene, protein or microRNA, sequence feature) extracted from 107 datasets.

Click the + buttons to view associations for SLC38A5 from the datasets below.

If available, associations are ranked by standardized value

Harmonizome 3.0

SLC38A5 Gene

Functional Associations

Please acknowledge the Harmonizome in your publications by citing the following reference(s):

	Dataset	Summary
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Adult Mouse Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles	tissue samples with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Aging Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Tissue Sample Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray	tissue samples with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by Microarray dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq	tissue samples with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissue samples from the Allen Brain Atlas Developing Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles by RNA-seq dataset.
	Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	tissues with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other tissues from the Allen Brain Atlas Prenatal Human Brain Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Human Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles	cell types and tissues with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other cell types and tissues from the BioGPS Mouse Cell Type and Tissue Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of SLC38A5 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles	cell lines with high or low expression of SLC38A5 gene relative to other cell lines from the CCLE Cell Line Gene Expression Profiles dataset.
	CCLE Cell Line Proteomics	Cell lines associated with SLC38A5 protein from the CCLE Cell Line Proteomics dataset.
	CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations	cell types associated with SLC38A5 gene from the CellMarker Gene-Cell Type Associations dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of SLC38A5 gene from the CHEA Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of SLC38A5 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ChEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022	transcription factors binding the promoter of SLC38A5 gene in low- or high-throughput transcription factor functional studies from the CHEA Transcription Factor Targets 2022 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing SLC38A5 protein from the COMPARTMENTS Curated Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components containing SLC38A5 protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components containing SLC38A5 protein in low- or high-throughput protein localization assays from the COMPARTMENTS Experimental Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores	cellular components co-occuring with SLC38A5 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores dataset.
	COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025	cellular components co-occuring with SLC38A5 protein in abstracts of biomedical publications from the COMPARTMENTS Text-mining Protein Localization Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles	cell lines with high or low copy number of SLC38A5 gene relative to other cell lines from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene CNV Profiles dataset.
	COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles	cell lines with SLC38A5 gene mutations from the COSMIC Cell Line Gene Mutation Profiles dataset.
	CTD Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with SLC38A5 gene/protein from the curated CTD Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action	small molecule perturbations with high or low expression of SLC38A5 protein relative to other small molecule perturbations from the DeepCoverMOA Drug Mechanisms of Action dataset.
	DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency	cell lines with fitness changed by SLC38A5 gene knockdown relative to other cell lines from the DepMap CRISPR Gene Dependency dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores	diseases co-occuring with SLC38A5 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores dataset.
	DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Association Evidence Scores 2025	diseases co-occuring with SLC38A5 gene in abstracts of biomedical publications from the DISEASES Text-mining Gene-Disease Assocation Evidence Scores 2025 dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations	diseases associated with SLC38A5 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Disease Associations dataset.
	DisGeNET Gene-Phenotype Associations	phenotypes associated with SLC38A5 gene in GWAS and other genetic association datasets from the DisGeNET Gene-Phenoptype Associations dataset.
	ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles	histone modification site profiles with high histone modification abundance at SLC38A5 gene from the ENCODE Histone Modification Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles	transcription factor binding site profiles with transcription factor binding evidence at the promoter of SLC38A5 gene from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Binding Site Profiles dataset.
	ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets	transcription factors binding the promoter of SLC38A5 gene in ChIP-seq datasets from the ENCODE Transcription Factor Targets dataset.
	ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing SLC38A5 from the ESCAPE Omics Signatures of Genes and Proteins for Stem Cells dataset.
	GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations	biological terms co-occuring with SLC38A5 gene in literature-supported statements describing functions of genes from the GeneRIF Biological Term Annotations dataset.
	GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures	PubMedIDs of publications reporting gene signatures containing SLC38A5 from the GeneSigDB Published Gene Signatures dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Diseases	disease perturbations changing expression of SLC38A5 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Diseases dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Gene Perturbations	gene perturbations changing expression of SLC38A5 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Gene Perturbations dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Kinase Perturbations	kinase perturbations changing expression of SLC38A5 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Kinase Perturbations dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules	small molecule perturbations changing expression of SLC38A5 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Small Molecules dataset.
	GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Transcription Factor Perturbations	transcription factor perturbations changing expression of SLC38A5 gene from the GEO Signatures of Differentially Expressed Genes for Transcription Factor Perturbations dataset.