# CXCR3

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/cxcr3/  
OnCo record `cxcr3` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

CXCR3 is the receptor a killer T cell uses to find its way into a tumour. If the tumour is not making the signals it listens for, the T cells never arrive, which is one way a tumour stays cold.

## Summary

CXCR3 binds the interferon-induced chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, and it is the receptor that steers effector T cells towards inflamed tissue. It is the mechanical link between the interferon-gamma signature and T cell infiltration: a tumour that does not produce those chemokines is not entered by the cells that could kill it, which is one of the described routes to immune exclusion and a cold tumour.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-10-16
- Tags: immune-marker
- Symbol: CXCR3
- Class: surface-antigen
- Biology: Chemokine receptor for CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11; guides effector T cells towards interferon-driven inflammation.
- Where found: Effector and effector memory T cells; Natural killer cells

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CXCR3
- HGNC:4540: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:4540

## Connected records

- targets: [CD8](https://onco.cc/targets/cd8/)
- terms: [Hot vs cold tumours](https://onco.cc/terms/cold-vs-hot/), [Immune exclusion](https://onco.cc/terms/immune-exclusion/), [Interferon-gamma gene signature (T-cell-inflamed signature)](https://onco.cc/terms/interferon-gamma-signature/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/cxcr3.json