# NKX2-1

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/nkx2-1/  
OnCo record `nkx2-1` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

NKX2-1 (Homeobox protein Nkx-2.1) is a gene whose normal job is to hold cell growth in check. The public catalogues list it as a tumour suppressor, and it is called a cancer driver by mutation analysis of patient cohorts. Tied to Thyroid cancer, Lung cancer, Skin cancer and 1 more.

## Summary

Transcription factor that binds and activates the promoter of thyroid specific genes such as thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase, and thyrotropin receptor. Crucial in the maintenance of the thyroid differentiation phenotype. May play a role in lung development and surfactant homeostasis.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.76 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes genetic literature 0.61, literature 0.96, genetic association 0.66, somatic mutation 0.81, animal model 0.79). IntOGen calls it a driver in 1 cohort (0 activating, 1 loss-of-function), covering Low-Grade Glioma, NOS.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: NK2 homeobox 1; Homeobox protein Nkx-2.1; TTF-1; TTF1; NKX2A; TITF1
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: NKX2-1
- Class: tumor-suppressor
- Biology: Transcription factor that binds and activates the promoter of thyroid specific genes such as thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase, and thyrotropin receptor. Crucial in the maintenance of the thyroid differentiation phenotype. May play a role in lung development and surfactant homeostasis. Forms a regulatory loop with GRHL2 that coordinates lung epithelial cell morphogenesis and differentiation. Activates the transcription of GNRHR and plays a role in enhancing the circadian oscillation of its gene expression. Represses the transcription of the circadian transcriptional repressor NR1D1. Location: Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 14q13.3 (HGNC).
- Where found: Thyroid cancer: Open Targets association 0.58 with thyroid cancer (MONDO_0002108); Lung cancer: Open Targets association 0.54 with lung cancer (MONDO_0008903); Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.52 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); Melanoma: Open Targets association 0.51 with melanoma (MONDO_0005105)

## 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 a loss-of-function (LoF) 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.
- Diseases the sources name that have no OnCo cancer page yet, so they are not linked: Low-Grade Glioma, NOS.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:11825: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:11825
- UniProt P43699: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P43699/entry
- NCBI Gene 7080: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7080
- Ensembl ENSG00000136352: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000136352

## Connected records

- collections: [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/), [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/), [Thyroid cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/thyroid/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/nkx2-1.json