Monocarboxylate Transport 2

Functions as a proton-linked monocarboxylate transporter and catalyzes the rapid transport across the plasma membrane of many monocarboxylates such as lactate, pyruvate, branched-chain oxo acids derived from leucine, valine and isoleucine, and the ketone bodies acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetate. MCT2 is a very high affinity pyruvate transporter. MCT2 is a cell membrane; Multi-pass membrane protein with high expression in testis, moderate to low expression in spleen, heart, kidney, pancreas, skeletal muscle, brain and leukocytes. The normal expression of MCT2 is restricted to low levels of expression in normal tissues, but is widely expressed in cancer cells.