# BCL11A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/bcl11a/  
OnCo record `bcl11a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

BCL11A (BCL11 transcription factor A) is a gene that drives cell growth when it is altered. The public catalogues list it as an oncogene driver, a biomarker and a fusion partner, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Skin cancer, Breast cancer and 2 more.

## Summary

Transcription factor. Associated with the BAF SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Binds to the 5'-TGACCA-3' sequence motif in regulatory regions of target genes, including a distal promoter of the HBG1 haemoglobin subunit gamma-1 gene.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 2 variants. Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.78 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.95, affected pathway 0.83, genetic association 0.53, somatic mutation 0.98). IntOGen calls it a driver in 1 cohort (1 activating, 0 loss-of-function), covering Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: BCL11 transcription factor A; BCL11A-XL; BCL11A-L; BCL11A-S; CTIP1; HBFQTL5; ZNF856; SMARCM1; EVI9
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: BCL11A
- Class: oncogene
- Biology: Transcription factor. Associated with the BAF SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Binds to the 5'-TGACCA-3' sequence motif in regulatory regions of target genes, including a distal promoter of the HBG1 haemoglobin subunit gamma-1 gene. Involved in regulation of the developmental switch from gamma- to beta-globin, probably via direct repression of HBG1; hence indirectly repressing fetal haemoglobin (HbF) level. Involved in brain development. May play a role in haematopoiesis. Location: Cytoplasm; Nucleus; Chromosome; Nucleus matrix (UniProt). Locus 2p16.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (NHL); Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.56 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); Breast cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with breast cancer (MONDO_0007254); Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: CIViC evidence names this disease; Melanoma: Open Targets association 0.56 with melanoma (MONDO_0005105)

## 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: IntOGen calls it an activating (Act) driver in 1 cohort; CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants; UniProt disease notes describe a translocation or gene fusion involving the gene. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:13221: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:13221
- UniProt Q9H165: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9H165/entry
- NCBI Gene 53335: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/53335
- Ensembl ENSG00000119866: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000119866

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/), [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/), [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Breast cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-cancer/), [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/dlbcl/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/bcl11a.json