# ERCC3

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/ercc3/  
OnCo record `ercc3` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

ERCC3 (General transcription and DNA repair factor IIH helicase/translocase subunit XPB) is a gene whose normal job is to hold cell growth in check. The public catalogues list it as a drug target, a tumour suppressor, a biomarker and a DNA repair gene, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Cervical cancer, Skin cancer, Ovarian cancer and 3 more.

## Summary

ATP-dependent 3'-5' DNA helicase/translocase. Binds dsDNA rather than ssDNA, unzipping it in a translocase rather than classical helicase activity. Component of the general transcription and DNA repair factor IIH (TFIIH) core complex.

CIViC holds 3 clinical evidence items and 0 assertions across 1 variant, naming Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor. Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.69 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.91, genetic association 0.44, somatic mutation 0.85). IntOGen calls it a driver in 2 cohorts (0 activating, 2 loss-of-function), covering Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: ERCC excision repair 3, TFIIH core complex helicase subunit; General transcription and DNA repair factor IIH helicase/translocase subunit XPB; BTF2; RAD25; Ssl2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: ERCC3
- Class: tumor-suppressor
- Biology: ATP-dependent 3'-5' DNA helicase/translocase. Binds dsDNA rather than ssDNA, unzipping it in a translocase rather than classical helicase activity. Component of the general transcription and DNA repair factor IIH (TFIIH) core complex. When complexed to CDK-activating kinase (CAK), involved in RNA transcription by RNA polymerase II. The ATPase activity of XPB/ERCC3, but not its helicase activity, is required for DNA opening; it may wrap around the damaged DNA wedging it open, causing localised melting that allows XPD/ERCC2 helicase to anchor. In transcription, TFIIH has an essential role in transcription initiation. Location: Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 2q14.3 (HGNC).
- Where found: Cervical cancer: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (CESC); Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.54 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); Ovarian cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with ovarian cancer (MONDO_0008170); Colorectal cancer: Open Targets association 0.52 with colorectal cancer (MONDO_0005575); Melanoma: Open Targets association 0.55 with melanoma (MONDO_0005105); CIViC evidence names this disease; Non-small-cell lung cancer: 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 1 therapies; IntOGen calls it a loss-of-function (LoF) driver in 2 cohorts; CIViC holds 3 clinical evidence items on its variants; UniProt keyword "DNA repair". Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:3435: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:3435
- UniProt P19447: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P19447/entry
- NCBI Gene 2071: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2071
- Ensembl ENSG00000163161: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000163161

## 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: [Cervical cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/cervical/), [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Ovarian cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/ovarian/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/ercc3.json