# ELF3

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/elf3/  
OnCo record `elf3` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

ELF3 (ETS-related transcription factor Elf-3) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. The public catalogues list it as an oncogene driver and a tumour suppressor, and it is called a cancer driver by mutation analysis of patient cohorts. Tied to Bladder & urothelial cancer, Colorectal cancer and Biliary tract cancer.

## Summary

Transcriptional activator that binds and transactivates ETS sequences containing the consensus nucleotide core sequence GGA[AT]. Acts synergistically with POU2F3 to transactivate the SPRR2A promoter and with RUNX1 to transactivate the ANGPT1 promoter. Also transactivates collagenase, CCL20, CLND7, FLG, KRT8, NOS2, PTGS2, SPRR2B, TGFBR2 and TGM3 promoters.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.61 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.98, animal model 0.27, genetic association 0.06, somatic mutation 0.78). IntOGen calls it a driver in 9 cohorts (4 activating, 4 loss-of-function), covering Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma, Cholangiocarcinoma, Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: E74 like ETS transcription factor 3; ETS-related transcription factor Elf-3; EPR-1; ESE-1
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: ELF3
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Transcriptional activator that binds and transactivates ETS sequences containing the consensus nucleotide core sequence GGA[AT]. Acts synergistically with POU2F3 to transactivate the SPRR2A promoter and with RUNX1 to transactivate the ANGPT1 promoter. Also transactivates collagenase, CCL20, CLND7, FLG, KRT8, NOS2, PTGS2, SPRR2B, TGFBR2 and TGM3 promoters. Represses KRT4 promoter activity. Involved in mediating vascular inflammation. May play an important role in epithelial cell differentiation and tumorigenesis. Location: Cytoplasm; Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 1q32.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Bladder & urothelial cancer: Open Targets association 0.56 with urinary bladder cancer (MONDO_0001187); IntOGen driver in 6 cohorts (BLCA); Colorectal cancer: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (COADREAD); Biliary tract cancer: IntOGen driver in 2 cohorts (CHOL)

## 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 4 cohorts; IntOGen calls it a loss-of-function (LoF) driver in 4 cohorts. Evidence tier "cohort-driver" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:3318: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:3318
- UniProt P78545: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P78545/entry
- NCBI Gene 1999: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1999
- Ensembl ENSG00000163435: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000163435

## Connected records

- collections: [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/), [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma)](https://onco.cc/cancers/cholangiocarcinoma/), [Bladder & urothelial cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/urothelial/), [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/elf3.json