# ADRA2A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/adra2a/  
OnCo record `adra2a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

ADRA2A (Alpha-2A adrenergic receptor) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a drug target, and an approved or late-stage drug is recorded against it. Tied to Neuroendocrine tumours.

## Summary

Alpha-2 adrenergic receptors are G protein-coupled receptors for catecholamines that activate the G(i/o) protein pathway, thereby promoting adenylyl cyclase inhibition, ERK1/2 stimulation, and voltage-gated calcium channels suppression. Control a variety of physiological processes, such as regulation of blood pressure, lipolysis and insulin release. ADRA2A and ADRA2C mediates the presynaptic feedback inhibition of neurotransmitter release from noradrenergic nerve terminals in sympathetic and central nervous systems.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.52 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.89, clinical 0.81).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: adrenoceptor alpha 2A; Alpha-2A adrenergic receptor; ADRAR; ADRA2; ADRA2R
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: ADRA2A
- Class: other
- Biology: Alpha-2 adrenergic receptors are G protein-coupled receptors for catecholamines that activate the G(i/o) protein pathway, thereby promoting adenylyl cyclase inhibition, ERK1/2 stimulation, and voltage-gated calcium channels suppression. Control a variety of physiological processes, such as regulation of blood pressure, lipolysis and insulin release. ADRA2A and ADRA2C mediates the presynaptic feedback inhibition of neurotransmitter release from noradrenergic nerve terminals in sympathetic and central nervous systems. ADRA2A inhibits transmitter release at high stimulation frequencies, whereas ADRA2C modulates neurotransmission at lower levels of nerve activity. The rank order of potency for agonists of ADRA2A is oxymetazoline > clonidine > epinephrine > norepinephrine > phenylephrine > dopamine > p-synephrine > p-tyramine > serotonin = p-octopamine. For antagonists, the rank order is yohimbine > phentolamine = mianserine > chlorpromazine = spiperone = prazosin > propanolol > alprenolol = pindolol. Location: Cell membrane (UniProt). Locus 10q25.2 (HGNC).
- Where found: Neuroendocrine tumours: Open Targets association 0.51 with neuroendocrine neoplasm (MONDO_0019496)

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: Open Targets known-drug datatype score 0.81. Evidence tier "approved-drug" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:281: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:281
- UniProt P08913: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P08913/entry
- NCBI Gene 150: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/150
- Ensembl ENSG00000150594: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000150594

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/neuroendocrine/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/adra2a.json