# BLM

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

## TL;DR

BLM (RecQ-like DNA helicase BLM) is an enzyme. The public catalogues list it as a DNA repair gene, and the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Leukaemia, Colorectal cancer, Breast cancer and 4 more.

## Summary

ATP-dependent DNA helicase that unwinds double-stranded (ds)DNA in a 3'-5' direction. Participates in DNA replication and repair. Involved in 5'-end resection of DNA during double-strand break (DSB) repair: unwinds DNA and recruits DNA2 which mediates the cleavage of 5'-ssDNA.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.82 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes genetic literature 0.64, affected pathway 0.87, literature 0.97, genetic association 0.73, somatic mutation 0.97).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: BLM RecQ like helicase; RecQ-like DNA helicase BLM; RECQL3; RECQ2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: BLM
- Class: enzyme
- Biology: ATP-dependent DNA helicase that unwinds double-stranded (ds)DNA in a 3'-5' direction. Participates in DNA replication and repair. Involved in 5'-end resection of DNA during double-strand break (DSB) repair: unwinds DNA and recruits DNA2 which mediates the cleavage of 5'-ssDNA. Stimulates DNA 4-way junction branch migration and DNA Holliday junction dissolution. Binds single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), forked duplex DNA and Holliday junction DNA. Unwinds G-quadruplex DNA; unwinding occurs in the 3'-5' direction and requires a 3' single-stranded end of at least 7 nucleotides. Location: Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 15q26.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Leukaemia: Open Targets association 0.63 with leukaemia (MONDO_0005059); Colorectal cancer: Open Targets association 0.62 with colorectal cancer (MONDO_0005575); Breast cancer: Open Targets association 0.61 with breast cancer (MONDO_0007254); Ovarian cancer: Open Targets association 0.58 with ovarian cancer (MONDO_0008170); Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.54 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); Endometrial cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with endometrial cancer (MONDO_0011962)

## 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: UniProt keyword "DNA repair". Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:1058: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:1058
- UniProt P54132: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P54132/entry
- NCBI Gene 641: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/641
- Ensembl ENSG00000197299: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000197299

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Breast cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/breast-cancer/), [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Endometrial cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/endometrial/), [Leukaemia (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/leukaemia/), [Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/)

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