# SOX2

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/sox2/  
OnCo record `sox2` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

SOX2 (Transcription factor SOX-2) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. In the public catalogues the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Colorectal cancer, Skin cancer and Lung cancer.

## Summary

Transcription factor that forms a trimeric complex with OCT4 on DNA and controls the expression of a number of genes involved in embryonic development such as YES1, FGF4, UTF1 and ZFP206. Binds to the proximal enhancer region of NANOG. Critical for early embryogenesis and for embryonic stem cell pluripotency.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.70 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 1.00, affected pathway 0.62, animal model 0.69, somatic mutation 0.96).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: SRY-box transcription factor 2; Transcription factor SOX-2
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: SOX2
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Transcription factor that forms a trimeric complex with OCT4 on DNA and controls the expression of a number of genes involved in embryonic development such as YES1, FGF4, UTF1 and ZFP206. Binds to the proximal enhancer region of NANOG. Critical for early embryogenesis and for embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Downstream SRRT target that mediates the promotion of neural stem cell self-renewal. Keeps neural cells undifferentiated by counteracting the activity of proneural proteins and suppresses neuronal differentiation. May function as a switch in neuronal development. Location: Nucleus speckle; Cytoplasm; Nucleus (UniProt). Locus 3q26.33 (HGNC).
- Where found: Colorectal cancer: Open Targets association 0.55 with colorectal cancer (MONDO_0005575); Skin cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with skin cancer (MONDO_0002898); Lung cancer: Open Targets association 0.51 with lung cancer (MONDO_0008903)

## 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: none stated by the sources. Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:11195: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:11195
- UniProt P48431: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P48431/entry
- NCBI Gene 6657: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/6657
- Ensembl ENSG00000181449: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000181449

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/), [Skin cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/skin-cancer/)
- pathways: [Lineage plasticity & neuroendocrine transformation](https://onco.cc/pathways/lineage-plasticity-neuroendocrine/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/sox2.json