# CDKN2A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/cdkn2a/  
OnCo record `cdkn2a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

CDKN2A (Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) is a gene whose normal job is to hold cell growth in check. The public catalogues list it as a drug target, an oncogene driver, a tumour suppressor and a biomarker, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Skin cancer, Lung cancer, Bladder & urothelial cancer and 5 more.

## Summary

Acts as a negative regulator of the proliferation of normal cells by interacting strongly with CDK4 and CDK6. This inhibits their ability to interact with cyclins D and to phosphorylate the retinoblastoma protein.

CIViC holds 59 clinical evidence items and 0 assertions across 27 variants, naming Palbociclib, Trametinib, Afatinib and Bevacizumab and others. Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.90 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes genetic literature 0.61, affected pathway 0.90, literature 1.00, genetic association 0.90, somatic mutation 0.98, animal model 0.67). IntOGen calls it a driver in 70 cohorts (15 activating, 55 loss-of-function), covering Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma, Invasive Breast Carcinoma, Cholangiocarcinoma, Colon Adenocarcinoma, Colorectal Adenocarcinoma and others. In OnCo, 1 product record names it (UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A; Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A; CDK4I; p16; INK4a; MTS1; CMM2; p19; p14; INK4; p16INK4a; p19Arf; p14ARF; P16-INK4A; CAI2; CDKN2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: CDKN2A
- Class: tumor-suppressor
- Biology: Acts as a negative regulator of the proliferation of normal cells by interacting strongly with CDK4 and CDK6. This inhibits their ability to interact with cyclins D and to phosphorylate the retinoblastoma protein. Location: Cytoplasm; Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 9p21.3 (HGNC).
- Where found: Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.80 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (SKIN); Lung cancer: Open Targets association 0.75 with lung cancer (MONDO_0008903); Bladder & urothelial cancer: Open Targets association 0.70 with urinary bladder cancer (MONDO_0001187); CIViC evidence names this disease; Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Open Targets association 0.70 with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (MONDO_0010150); CIViC evidence names this disease; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Open Targets association 0.69 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MONDO_0018908); IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (MLYM); Oesophageal cancer: Open Targets association 0.69 with oesophageal cancer (MONDO_0007576); CIViC evidence names this disease

## 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: CIViC lists 18 therapies; IntOGen calls it an activating (Act) driver in 15 cohorts; IntOGen calls it a loss-of-function (LoF) driver in 55 cohorts; CIViC holds 59 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.
- Diseases the sources name that have no OnCo cancer page yet, so they are not linked: Oropharynx Cancer; Supratentorial Ependymoma, ZFTA Fusion-positive; Ganglioglioma; Low-Grade Glioma, NOS.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:1787: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:1787
- UniProt P42771: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P42771/entry
- NCBI Gene 1029: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1029
- Ensembl ENSG00000147889: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000147889

## 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: [Bladder & urothelial cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/urothelial/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [Leukaemia (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/leukaemia/), [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/), [Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Oesophageal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/esophageal/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/)
- drugs: [UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit](https://onco.cc/drugs/urovysion/)
- pathways: [Bladder cancer (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/bladder-cancer-signalling/), [Cellular senescence](https://onco.cc/pathways/senescence/), [Chronic myeloid leukaemia (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/cml-signalling/), [Glioma (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/glioma-signalling/), [Hepatocellular carcinoma (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/hepatocellular-carcinoma-signalling/), [Melanoma (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/melanoma-signalling/), [Non-small cell lung cancer (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/nsclc-signalling/), [Pancreatic cancer (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/pancreatic-cancer-signalling/), [The cell-cycle engine (cyclins & CDKs)](https://onco.cc/pathways/cell-cycle-engine-cdks/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/cdkn2a.json