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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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EPHA3
EPH receptor A3
Chromosome 3 · 3p11.1
NCBI Gene: 2042Ensembl: ENSG00000044524.11HGNC: HGNC:3387UniProt: A0A140VJJ0
115PubMed Papers
21Diseases
2Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
KinaseReceptor
CLINICAL
FDA Approved TargetOMIM Disease Gene
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
regulation of cell-cell adhesionregulation of actin cytoskeleton organizationnegative regulation of endocytosisephrin receptor signaling pathwaymedullary thyroid gland carcinomaneurodegenerative diseaseatrial fibrillationneoplasm
✦AI Summary

EPHA3 (EPH receptor A3) is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase that mediates cell-cell communication through binding of membrane-bound ephrin ligands, triggering bidirectional forward and reverse signaling 12. The receptor preferentially binds ephrin-A ligands, particularly EFNA5, regulating cell-cell adhesion, cytoskeletal organization, and cell migration 1. EPHA3 also participates in cardiac development through EFNA1-mediated inhibition of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and in neurite guidance during retinotectal mapping 2. In normal lung development, EPHA3 is differentially expressed during alveologenesis and may play critical roles in establishing the alveolar niche 3. EPHA3 variants are associated with white-matter structural connectivity, indicating roles in neurodevelopmental processes 4. Clinically, EPHA3 is highly relevant to oncology as it is frequently overexpressed and/or mutated across multiple malignancies including colorectal, gastric, lung, and brain cancers 5. In gastric cancer, EphA3 overexpression promotes tumor growth and angiogenesis via the STAT3/VEGF pathway 6. EPHA3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cells demonstrate potent efficacy against glioblastoma and diffuse midline gliomas in preclinical models, establishing durable anti-tumor immunity 7. Multiple EphA3-targeted therapeutics are currently in development, positioning this receptor as a promising cancer treatment target 85.

Sources cited
1
EPHA3 mediates bidirectional signaling upon ephrin binding and regulates cell-cell adhesion, cytoskeletal organization, and cell migration
PMID: 11870224
2
EPHA3 activation by EFNA1 inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cardiac development
PMID: 12794130
3
EPHA3 is differentially expressed during mouse lung alveologenesis and may perform critical roles in alveolar niche maturation
PMID: 40118721
4
EPHA3 variants are genome-wide significantly associated with structural brain connectivity and neurodevelopmental processes
PMID: 38438384
5
EPHA3 is overexpressed and/or mutated in multiple tumor types including colorectal, gastric, lung, glioblastoma, and other cancers, associated with poor prognosis
PMID: 32621117
6
EphA3 knockdown in gastric cancer inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis through the STAT3/VEGF signaling pathway
PMID: 30066881
7
EphA3-targeted CAR T cells effectively eradicate glioblastoma and diffuse midline glioma tumors and establish durable protective immunity
PMID: 39111833
8
EphA3 has multiple tumor-promoting roles in various cancer types and is one of the most promising therapeutic targets
PMID: 25391995
Disease Associationsⓘ21
medullary thyroid gland carcinomaOpen Targets
0.54Moderate
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.53Moderate
atrial fibrillationOpen Targets
0.49Moderate
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.47Moderate
non-small cell lung carcinomaOpen Targets
0.43Moderate
thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.42Moderate
thyroid neoplasmOpen Targets
0.39Weak
pulmonary embolismOpen Targets
0.36Weak
Pulmonary InfarctionOpen Targets
0.36Weak
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.35Weak
thyroid cancerOpen Targets
0.34Weak
venous thromboembolismOpen Targets
0.33Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.33Weak
smoking behaviorOpen Targets
0.32Weak
ovarian dysfunctionOpen Targets
0.31Weak
atrial flutterOpen Targets
0.31Weak
liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.30Weak
intelligenceOpen Targets
0.29Weak
facial morphologyOpen Targets
0.28Weak
response to antihypertensive drugOpen Targets
0.26Weak
Colorectal cancerUniProt
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Drug Targets2
KB-004Phase I/II
Ephrin type-A receptor 3 inhibitor
VANDETANIBApproved
Ephrin receptor inhibitor
Related Genes
EPHB4Protein interaction100%ADAM10Protein interaction99%EFNA2Protein interaction99%RASA1Protein interaction92%EFNA3Protein interaction89%EFNA4Protein interaction89%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Liver
14%
Ovary
13%
Brain
7%
Lung
6%
Bone Marrow
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
EPHA3EPHB4ADAM10EFNA2RASA1EFNA3EFNA4
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2QOL · 1.07 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.51Moderately Constrained
pLIⓘ
0.80Intermediate
Observed/Expected LoF0.39 [0.30–0.51]
RankingsWhere EPHA3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #4,114of 20,598
    Most Researched115 · top quartile
  • #935of 1,025
    FDA-Approved Drug Targets1
  • #3,087of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.51 · top quartile
Genes detectedEPHA3
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
EphA3 biology and cancer.
PMID: 25391995
Growth Factors · 2014
1.00
2
Critical role of EphA3 in cancer and current state of EphA3 drug therapeutics.
PMID: 32621117
Mol Biol Rep · 2020
0.90
3
EphA3 contributes to tumor growth and angiogenesis in human gastric cancer cells.
PMID: 30066881
Oncol Rep · 2018
0.80
4
EphA3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cells are effective in glioma and generate curative memory T cell responses.
PMID: 39111833
J Immunother Cancer · 2024
0.70
5
Spatiotemporal transcriptome atlas of developing mouse lung.
PMID: 40118721
Sci Bull (Beijing) · 2025
0.60