# SCN3A

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/scn3a/  
OnCo record `scn3a` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

SCN3A (Sodium channel protein type 3 subunit alpha) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a drug target, and an approved or late-stage drug is recorded against it.

## Summary

Pore-forming subunit of Nav1.3, a voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel that directly mediates the depolarising phase of action potentials in excitable membranes. Navs, also called VGSCs (voltage-gated sodium channels) or VDSCs (voltage-dependent sodium channels), operate by switching between closed and open conformations depending on the voltage difference across the membrane. In the open conformation they allow Na(+) ions to selectively pass through the pore, along their electrochemical gradient.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.62 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.14, genetic association 0.48, clinical 0.86).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 3; Sodium channel protein type 3 subunit alpha; Nav1.3
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: SCN3A
- Class: other
- Biology: Pore-forming subunit of Nav1.3, a voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel that directly mediates the depolarising phase of action potentials in excitable membranes. Navs, also called VGSCs (voltage-gated sodium channels) or VDSCs (voltage-dependent sodium channels), operate by switching between closed and open conformations depending on the voltage difference across the membrane. In the open conformation they allow Na(+) ions to selectively pass through the pore, along their electrochemical gradient. The influx of Na+ ions provokes membrane depolarisation, initiating the propagation of electrical signals throughout cells and tissues. In some secretory cell types, it also participates in cell excitability through membrane depolarisation and regulates cells responsiveness to stimuli triggering secretion. For instance, it controls the release of serotonin/5-hydroxytryptamine by enterochromaffin cells and is required for both glucagon- and glucose-induced insulin secretion in pancreatic endocrine cells. Location: Cell membrane; Basal cell membrane (UniProt). Locus 2q24.3 (HGNC).

## 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: Open Targets known-drug datatype score 0.86. Evidence tier "approved-drug" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:10590: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:10590
- UniProt Q9NY46: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9NY46/entry
- NCBI Gene 6328: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6328
- Ensembl ENSG00000153253: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000153253

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/scn3a.json