Vesicular monoamine transporter 2

SLC18A2
Identifiers
Aliases	SLC18A2, SVAT, SVMT, VAT2, VMAT2, solute carrier family 18 member A2, Vesicular monoamine transporter 2, PKDYS2
External IDs	OMIM: 193001; MGI: 106677; HomoloGene: 2298; GeneCards: SLC18A2; OMA:SLC18A2 - orthologs
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 10 (human)
End	117,279,430 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 19 (mouse)
End	59,284,444 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	pars reticulata; ; pars compacta; ; secondary oocyte; ; tibia; ; testicle; ; skin of hip; ; islet of Langerhans; ; endometrium; ; gallbladder; ; ectocervix;
	Top expressed in
	ventral tegmental area; ; substantia nigra; ; central gray substance of midbrain; ; dorsal tegmental nucleus; ; mammillary body; ; dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus; ; cumulus cell; ; secondary oocyte; ; zygote; ; lateral geniculate nucleus;
	More reference expression data
	n/a
Gene ontology
Molecular function	monoamine transmembrane transporter activity; serotonin:sodium symporter activity;
Cellular component	integral component of membrane; clathrin-sculpted monoamine transport vesicle membrane; membrane; plasma membrane; integral component of plasma membrane; cytoplasmic vesicle membrane; cytoplasmic vesicle; synaptic vesicle; dopaminergic synapse; synaptic vesicle membrane; terminal bouton;
Biological process	locomotory behavior; response to amphetamine; post-embryonic development; serotonin transport; negative regulation of reactive oxygen species biosynthetic process; dopamine transport; neurotransmitter loading into synaptic vesicle; neurotransmitter transport; response to toxic substance; neurotransmitter secretion; sequestering of neurotransmitter; chemical synaptic transmission; monoamine transport; transmembrane transport; aminergic neurotransmitter loading into synaptic vesicle; serotonin uptake;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
	6571
	214084
	ENSG00000165646
	ENSMUSG00000025094
	Q05940
	Q8BRU6
	NM_003054
	NM_172523
	NP_003045
	NP_766111
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

The solute carrier family 18 member 2 (SLC18A2) also known as vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC18A2 gene. VMAT2 is an integral membrane protein that transports monoamines—particularly neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and histamine—from cellular cytosol into synaptic vesicles. In nigrostriatal pathway and mesolimbic pathway dopamine-releasing neurons, VMAT2 function is also necessary for the vesicular release of the neurotransmitter GABA.