# TFRC

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

## TL;DR

TFRC (Transferrin receptor protein 1) is a gene whose normal job is to hold cell growth in check. The public catalogues list it as an oncogene driver and a tumour suppressor, and it is called a cancer driver by mutation analysis of patient cohorts. Tied to Prostate cancer and Non-small-cell lung cancer.

## Summary

Cellular uptake of iron occurs via receptor-mediated endocytosis of ligand-occupied transferrin receptor into specialised endosomes. Endosomal acidification leads to iron release. The apotransferrin-receptor complex is then recycled to the cell surface with a return to neutral pH and the concomitant loss of affinity of apotransferrin for its receptor.

IntOGen calls it a driver in 2 cohorts (1 activating, 1 loss-of-function), covering Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: transferrin receptor; Transferrin receptor protein 1; CD71; TFR1; p90
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: TFRC
- Class: tumor-suppressor
- Biology: Cellular uptake of iron occurs via receptor-mediated endocytosis of ligand-occupied transferrin receptor into specialised endosomes. Endosomal acidification leads to iron release. The apotransferrin-receptor complex is then recycled to the cell surface with a return to neutral pH and the concomitant loss of affinity of apotransferrin for its receptor. Transferrin receptor is necessary for development of erythrocytes and the nervous system. A second ligand, the hereditary haemochromatosis protein HFE, competes for binding with transferrin for an overlapping C-terminal binding site. Positively regulates T and B cell proliferation through iron uptake. Location: Cell membrane; Melanosome; Secreted (UniProt). Locus 3q29 (HGNC).
- Where found: Prostate cancer: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (PRAD); Non-small-cell lung cancer: IntOGen driver in 1 cohort (NSCLC)

## 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 an activating (Act) driver in 1 cohort; 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.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:11763: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:11763
- UniProt P02786: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P02786/entry
- NCBI Gene 7037: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7037
- Ensembl ENSG00000072274: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000072274

## Connected records

- collections: [IntOGen](https://onco.cc/collections/intogen/)
- cancers: [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

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