gene

CHR2

Entity Detail — Knowledge Graph Node

Understanding Entity Pages

This page aggregates everything SciDEX knows about CHR2: its mechanistic relationships (Knowledge Graph edges), hypotheses targeting it, analyses mentioning it, and supporting scientific papers. The interactive graph below shows its immediate neighbors. All content is AI-synthesized from peer-reviewed literature.

228Connections

1Hypotheses

2Analyses

50Outgoing

50Incoming

1Experiments

3Debates

Summary

CHR2 is a gene implicated in neurodegeneration research. Key relationships include: activates, regulates, co discussed. Associated with ALS, Aging, Als. Connected to 85 entities in the SciDEX knowledge graph.

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🧬 Gene Info

Gene Symbol	CHR2
Protein Type	Ion Channel
Target Class	Ion Channel
Function	CHR2 functions as a light-gated cation channel that opens in response to blue light (470nm), allowing depolarization through Na+ and Ca2+ influx. Therapeutic approaches would involve delivering CHR...
Mechanism of Action	CHR2 functions as a light-gated cation channel that opens in response to blue light (470nm), allowing depolarization through Na+ and Ca2+ influx. Therapeutic approaches would involve delivering CHR2 via gene therapy to degenerated neurons or photoreceptors, enabling light-dependent control of neural activity for vision restoration or neuromodulation applications.
Druggability	Low (0.33)
Clinical Stage	Phase II
Pathways	Hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity
UniProt ID	A0FGR8
GeneCards	CHR2
Human Protein Atlas	CHR2
Associated Diseases	CANCER, Depression, Directional Neurite Outgrowth, neurodegeneration
Known Drugs/Compounds	Channelrhodopsin-2 activators
Interactions	AGING, ALZHEIMER, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, AMYLOID, AMYLOID-BETA, AND
SciDEX Target	View Target Profile (4 clinical trials)
SciDEX Hypotheses	Optogenetic Control of Mitochondrial Transfer Netw
KG Connections	196 knowledge graph edges
Databases	GeneCards NCBI Gene HPA STRING

🔮 Predicted Structure: CHR2 — AlphaFold A0FGR8 Click to expand

AI-predicted structure from AlphaFold | Powered by Mol*

Pathway Diagram

graph TD
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"associated"| neurodegeneration["neurodegeneration"]
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"interacts"| BDNF["BDNF"]
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"co discussed"| CLOCK["CLOCK"]
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"co discussed"| CRH["CRH"]
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"co discussed"| BDNF_1["BDNF"]
    CHR2["CHR2"] -->|"co discussed"| SNCA["SNCA"]
    BDNF_2["BDNF"] -->|"interacts"| CHR2["CHR2"]
    FOXP3["FOXP3"] -->|"co discussed"| CHR2["CHR2"]
    TNFA["TNFA"] -->|"co discussed"| CHR2["CHR2"]
    PPARGC1A["PPARGC1A"] -->|"co discussed"| CHR2["CHR2"]
    style CHR2 fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:2px,color:#e0e0e0

Outgoing (159)

Target	Relation	Type	Str
benchmark_ot_ad_answer_key:CHR2	data_in	dataset_row	0.00
Neurite Outgrowth	promotes	phenotype	0.95
Synaptic Transmission	inhibits	process	0.95
Field Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials	downregulates	phenotype	0.95
Dorsal Root Ganglia	expressed_in	cell_type	0.95
Directional Neurite Outgrowth	associated_with	phenotype	0.92
Astrocytes	expressed_in	cell_type	0.90
Ca1 Hippocampal Layer	expressed_in	brain_region	0.90
GABAergic Interneurons	targets	cell_type	0.90
GABAergic Interneurons	targets	cell_type	0.88
directional neurite outgrowth	mediates	phenotype	0.85
BDNF	upregulates	gene	0.85
NGF	upregulates	gene	0.85
Neurodegeneration	activates	disease	0.65
ALS	regulates	disease	0.65
Aging	regulates	disease	0.65
Depression	activates	disease	0.65
Neurodegeneration	regulates	disease	0.65
Als	regulates	disease	0.65
ALS	activates	disease	0.65
Alzheimer	activates	disease	0.65
Ms	activates	disease	0.65
Aging	activates	disease	0.65
Stroke	activates	disease	0.65
Ms	regulates	disease	0.65
Migraine	activates	disease	0.65
Alzheimer	therapeutic_target	disease	0.65
Als	therapeutic_target	disease	0.65
Als	activates	disease	0.65
Bdnf	activates	protein	0.60
MTOR	activates	entity	0.60
STROKE	activates	gene	0.60
AND	activates	gene	0.60
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE	activates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID	activates	gene	0.60
MICROGLIA	activates	gene	0.60
Astrocyte	activates	cell_type	0.60
MICROGLIA	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
CAMKII	activates	gene	0.60
ALZHEIMER	activates	disease	0.60
NGF	activates	gene	0.60
NEURON	activates	gene	0.60
Innate Immunity	regulates	pathway	0.60
neurodegeneration	implicated_in	disease	0.60
Amyloid	regulates	pathway	0.60
AGING	regulates	gene	0.60
Autophagy	regulates	pathway	0.60
JUN	activates	gene	0.60
AUTOPHAGY	regulates	gene	0.60
NGF	regulates	gene	0.60

Incoming (69)

Source	Relation	Type	Str
benchmark_ot_ad_answer_key:CHR2	data_in	dataset_row	0.00
optical stimulation	activates	process	0.95
h-e0183502	targets_gene	hypothesis	0.90
h-826df660	targets_gene	hypothesis	0.90
h-e0183502	targets	hypothesis	0.80
BDNF	co_mentioned_with	gene	0.60
MTOR	activates	gene	0.60
APP	activates	gene	0.60
DEPRESSION	activates	gene	0.60
NEURODEGENERATION	activates	gene	0.60
ASTROCYTE	activates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID	activates	gene	0.60
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE	activates	gene	0.60
MICROGLIA	activates	gene	0.60
NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES	activates	gene	0.60
ALZHEIMER	activates	gene	0.60
LYSOSOME	activates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
ALZHEIMER	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
EEF2	activates	gene	0.60
STAR	activates	gene	0.60
ASTROCYTES	activates	gene	0.60
STROKE	activates	gene	0.60
LYSOSOME	associated_with	gene	0.60
NEURODEGENERATION	regulates	gene	0.60
AUTOPHAGY	regulates	gene	0.60
AGING	regulates	gene	0.60
AUTOPHAGY	activates	gene	0.60
AGING	activates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID-BETA	activates	gene	0.60
AND	activates	gene	0.60
AND	associated_with	gene	0.60
AND	regulates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID-BETA	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
CAMKII	activates	gene	0.60
GENES	activates	gene	0.60
MICROGLIA	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
NGF	activates	gene	0.60
JUN	activates	gene	0.60
BDNF	activates	gene	0.60
BDNF	regulates	gene	0.60
APP	therapeutic_target	gene	0.60
NEURON	activates	gene	0.60
AMYLOID	regulates	gene	0.60
BDNF	associated_with	gene	0.55
h-826df660	targets	hypothesis	0.50
DEPRESSION	protects_against	disease	0.50
Autophagy	activates	process	0.50
BDNF	debate_co_mention	gene	0.45
autophagy	debate_co_mention	pathway	0.45

Targeting Hypotheses (1)

Hypotheses where this entity is a therapeutic target

Hypothesis	Score	Disease	Analysis
Optogenetic Control of Mitochondrial Transfer Networks	0.476	neurodegeneration	Mitochondrial transfer between neurons a

Mentioning Analyses (2)

Scientific analyses that reference this entity

Digital biomarkers and AI-driven early detection of neurodegeneration

neurodegeneration | 2026-04-01 | 7 hypotheses Top: 0.756

Mitochondrial transfer between neurons and glia

neurodegeneration | 2026-04-01 | 0 hypotheses

Experiments (1)

Experimental studies targeting or related to this entity

Experiment	Type	Disease	Score	Feasibility	Model	Status	Est. Cost
Auditory nerve responses to combined optogenetic and electrical stimul	validation	sensorineural hearing loss/dea	0.850	0.00	transgenic mice expressing ChR	proposed	N/A

Related Papers (16)

Scientific publications cited in analyses involving this entity

Title & PMID	Authors	Journal	Year	Citations
Enhancer AAVs for targeting spinal motor neurons and descending motor pathways i [PMID:40403722]	Emily Kussick, Nelson Johansen, Naz Task	Cell Reports	2025	19
The sympathoregulatory region of the mouse rostral brainstem relies on both GABA [PMID:41718621]	Gao H, Desmoulins LD, Molinas AJR, Dugas	J Physiol	2026	0
Optogenetic manipulation of lysosomal physiology and autophagy-dependent clearan [PMID:38652732]	Zeng W, Li C, Wu R	PLoS Biol	2024	0
Sodium-Selective Channelrhodopsins. [PMID:39594600]	Coli A, Gao S, Kaestner L	Cells	2024	0
Bidirectional regulation by "star forces": Ionotropic astrocyte's optical stimul [PMID:36484471]	Maltsev A, Roshchin M, Bezprozvanny I	Hippocampus	2023	0
Auditory nerve responses to combined optogenetic and electrical stimulation in c [PMID:36963106]	Ajay EA, Trang EP, Thompson AC	J Neural Eng	2023	0
Isolation and Crystallization of the D156C Form of Optogenetic ChR2. [PMID:35269517]	Zhang L, Wang K, Ning S, Pedersen PA, Du	Cells	2022	0
Applications and challenges of rhodopsin-based optogenetics in biomedicine. [PMID:36213746]	Zhang H, Fang H, Liu D	Front Neurosci	2022	0
Harlequin syndrome associated with thoracic epidural anaesthesia. [PMID:35118419]	Persson RM, Tellnes K, Hoven H, Haaverst	Anaesthesia reports	2022	0
Optogenetic Studies of Mitochondria. [PMID:35857235]	Chen K, Ernst P, Liu XM, Zhou L	Methods in molecular biology (	2022	0
Transmission dynamics of a linear vanA-plasmid during a nosocomial multiclonal o [PMID:34285270]	Fujiya Y, Harada T, Sugawara Y, Akeda Y,	Scientific reports	2021	0
High resolution spatiotemporal patterns of seawater temperatures across the Beli [PMID:33199700]	Helmuth B, Leichter JJ, Rotjan RD, Casti	Scientific data	2020	0
Making Sense of Optogenetics. [PMID:26209858]	Guru A, Post RJ, Ho YY, Warden MR	The international journal of n	2015	0
Regenerative nanomedicine for vision restoration. [PMID:24290123]	Zarbin MA, Arlow T, Ritch R	Mayo Clin Proc	2013	0
Optogenetic investigation of neuropsychiatric diseases. [PMID:23002710]	Huang F, Tang B, Jiang H	The International journal of n	2013	0
Cardiac optogenetics. [PMID:23366158]	Abilez OJ	Annual International Conferenc	2012	0

Debates (3)

Multi-agent debates referencing this entity