# DHX9

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/dhx9/  
OnCo record `dhx9` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

DHX9 (ATP-dependent RNA helicase A) is a gene that drives cell growth when it is altered. The public catalogues list it as an oncogene driver, and it is called a cancer driver by mutation analysis of patient cohorts. Tied to Hepatocellular carcinoma.

## Summary

Multifunctional ATP-dependent nucleic acid helicase that unwinds DNA and RNA in a 3' to 5' direction and that plays important roles in many processes, such as DNA replication, transcriptional activation, post-transcriptional RNA regulation, mRNA translation and RNA-mediated gene silencing. Requires a 3'-single-stranded tail as entry site for acid nuclei unwinding activities as well as the binding and hydrolysing of any of the four ribo- or deoxyribo-nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs). Unwinds numerous nucleic acid substrates such as double-stranded (ds) DNA and RNA, DNA:RNA hybrids, DNA and RNA forks composed of either partially complementary DNA duplexes or DNA:RNA hybrids, respectively, and also DNA and RNA displacement loops (D- and R-loops), triplex-helical DNA (H-DNA) structure and DNA and RNA-based G-quadruplexes.

IntOGen calls it a driver in 1 cohort (1 activating, 0 loss-of-function), covering Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: DExH-box helicase 9; ATP-dependent RNA helicase A; DDX9
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: DHX9
- Class: oncogene
- Biology: Multifunctional ATP-dependent nucleic acid helicase that unwinds DNA and RNA in a 3' to 5' direction and that plays important roles in many processes, such as DNA replication, transcriptional activation, post-transcriptional RNA regulation, mRNA translation and RNA-mediated gene silencing. Requires a 3'-single-stranded tail as entry site for acid nuclei unwinding activities as well as the binding and hydrolysing of any of the four ribo- or deoxyribo-nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs). Unwinds numerous nucleic acid substrates such as double-stranded (ds) DNA and RNA, DNA:RNA hybrids, DNA and RNA forks composed of either partially complementary DNA duplexes or DNA:RNA hybrids, respectively, and also DNA and RNA displacement loops (D- and R-loops), triplex-helical DNA (H-DNA) structure and DNA and RNA-based G-quadruplexes. Binds dsDNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), dsRNA, ssRNA and poly(A)-containing RNA. Also binds to circular dsDNA or dsRNA of either linear and/or circular forms and stimulates the relaxation of supercoiled DNAs catalysed by topoisomerase TOP2A. Plays a role in DNA replication at origins of replication and cell cycle progression. Location: Nucleus; Nucleus, nucleoplasm; Nucleus, nucleolus; Cytoplasm (UniProt). Locus 1q25.3 (HGNC).
- Where found: Hepatocellular carcinoma: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (HCC)

## 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. Evidence tier "cohort-driver" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:2750: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:2750
- UniProt Q08211: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q08211/entry
- NCBI Gene 1660: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1660
- Ensembl ENSG00000135829: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000135829

## Connected records

- collections: [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/)
- cancers: [Hepatocellular carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hcc/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/dhx9.json