# XPC

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

## TL;DR

XPC (DNA repair protein complementing XP-C cells) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. The public catalogues list it as a DNA repair gene, and the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role. Tied to Lung cancer and Prostate cancer.

## Summary

Involved in global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER) by acting as damage sensing and DNA-binding factor component of the XPC complex. Has only a low DNA repair activity by itself which is stimulated by RAD23B and RAD23A. Has a preference to bind DNA containing a short single-stranded segment but not to damaged oligonucleotides.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.70 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.98, animal model 0.71, genetic association 0.62, somatic mutation 0.93).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: XPC complex subunit, DNA damage recognition and repair factor; DNA repair protein complementing XP-C cells; RAD4
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: XPC
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Involved in global genome nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER) by acting as damage sensing and DNA-binding factor component of the XPC complex. Has only a low DNA repair activity by itself which is stimulated by RAD23B and RAD23A. Has a preference to bind DNA containing a short single-stranded segment but not to damaged oligonucleotides. This feature is proposed to be related to a dynamic sensor function: XPC can rapidly screen duplex DNA for non-hydrogen-bonded bases by forming a transient nucleoprotein intermediate complex which matures into a stable recognition complex through an intrinsic single-stranded DNA-binding activity. The XPC complex is proposed to represent the first factor bound at the sites of DNA damage and together with other core recognition factors, XPA, RPA and the TFIIH complex, is part of the pre-incision (or initial recognition) complex. The XPC complex recognises a wide spectrum of damaged DNA characterised by distortions of the DNA helix such as single-stranded loops, mismatched bubbles or single-stranded overhangs. Location: Nucleus; Chromosome; Cytoplasm (UniProt). Locus 3p25.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Lung cancer: Open Targets association 0.54 with lung cancer (MONDO_0008903); Prostate cancer: Open Targets association 0.53 with prostate cancer (MONDO_0008315)

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

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:12816: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:12816
- UniProt Q01831: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q01831/entry
- NCBI Gene 7508: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/7508
- Ensembl ENSG00000154767: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000154767

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Lung cancer (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-cancer/), [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

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