# NKG2A (KLRC1)

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/klrc1/  
OnCo record `klrc1` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

NKG2A is the brake on NK cells and some killer T cells that is pressed by HLA-E, a molecule tumours raise to look like self. Monalizumab blocks it and is in phase 3 with durvalumab in lung cancer and with cetuximab in head and neck cancer.

## Summary

KLRC1 (chromosome 12p13.2) encodes NKG2A, which pairs with CD94 (KLRD1) on cytotoxic and regulatory lymphocytes and recognises the non-classical class Ib molecule HLA-E loaded with signal-sequence peptides from classical class Ia molecules, letting cytotoxic cells monitor MHC class I on healthy cells and tolerate them (UniProt P26715). It is predominantly expressed on NK cells and on subsets of intraepithelial, gamma-delta and memory CD8 T cells (protein level). Monalizumab, an anti-NKG2A antibody, is in the PACIFIC-9 phase 3 study with durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy in stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NCT05221840) and the INTERLINK-1 phase 3 with cetuximab in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (NCT04590963).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Also known as: NKG2A; NKG2-A; CD159a; killer cell lectin like receptor C1
- Tags: checkpoint-map
- Symbol: KLRC1
- Class: checkpoint
- Biology: A C-type lectin-like inhibitory receptor; the CD94/NKG2A heterodimer reads HLA-E and signals through ITIMs.
- Where found: NK cells; intraepithelial and memory CD8 T-cell subsets (UniProt P26715); Non-small-cell lung cancer and head and neck cancer trials of monalizumab

## Notes

- Prevalence not recorded: HGNC and UniProt carry no positivity rates.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:6374: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:6374
- UniProt P26715: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P26715/entry
- NCBI Gene 3821: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3821
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05221840: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05221840

## Connected records

- targets: [HLA-E](https://onco.cc/targets/hla-e/), [KIR2DL1 (inhibitory KIR)](https://onco.cc/targets/kir2dl1/)
- terms: [Checkpoint (two meanings)](https://onco.cc/terms/checkpoint/), [NK cell](https://onco.cc/terms/nk-cell/)
- drugs: [Durvalumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/durvalumab/), [Monalizumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/monalizumab/)
- cancers: [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/)
- technologies: [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- pathways: [The cancer-immunity cycle](https://onco.cc/pathways/cancer-immunity-cycle/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/klrc1.json