# CRTC3

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/crtc3/  
OnCo record `crtc3` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

CRTC3 (CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 3) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. In the public catalogues the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Oral cavity cancer.

## Summary

Transcriptional coactivator for CREB1 which activates transcription through both consensus and variant cAMP response element (CRE) sites. Acts as a coactivator, in the SIK/TORC signalling pathway, being active when dephosphorylated and acts independently of CREB1 'Ser-133' phosphorylation. Enhances the interaction of CREB1 with TAF4.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.64 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.68, genetic association 0.31, somatic mutation 0.78).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: CREB regulated transcription coactivator 3; CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 3; FLJ21868
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: CRTC3
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Transcriptional coactivator for CREB1 which activates transcription through both consensus and variant cAMP response element (CRE) sites. Acts as a coactivator, in the SIK/TORC signalling pathway, being active when dephosphorylated and acts independently of CREB1 'Ser-133' phosphorylation. Enhances the interaction of CREB1 with TAF4. Regulates the expression of specific CREB-activated genes such as the steroidogenic gene, StAR. Potent coactivator of PPARGC1A and inducer of mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells. Also coactivator for TAX activation of the human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) long terminal repeats (LTR). Location: Nucleus; Cytoplasm (UniProt). Locus 15q26.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Oral cavity cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with oral cavity cancer (MONDO_0005515)

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

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:26148: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:26148
- UniProt Q6UUV7: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q6UUV7/entry
- NCBI Gene 64784: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/64784
- Ensembl ENSG00000140577: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000140577

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Oral cavity cancer (mouth and tongue)](https://onco.cc/cancers/oral-cavity-cancer/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/crtc3.json