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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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OGFR
opioid growth factor receptor
Chromosome 20 · 20q13.33
NCBI Gene: 11054Ensembl: ENSG00000060491.18HGNC: HGNC:15768UniProt: Q9NZT2
66PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Receptor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingregulation of cell growthopioid growth factor receptor activitycytoplasmneoplasmsensorineural hearing lossprostate cancerdisorder of ear
✦AI Summary

OGFR (opioid growth factor receptor) is a nuclear membrane-associated receptor that binds opioid growth factor (OGF), also known as methionine-enkephalin 1. Unlike classical opioid receptors, OGFR is an integral membrane protein located on the outer nuclear envelope with a unique structure containing imperfect repeats and a bipartite nuclear localization signal 1. The OGF-OGFR complex translocates through nuclear pores to modulate DNA activity and cell proliferation 1. OGFR functions as a tonic inhibitory regulator of cell growth, involved in development, cancer, wound healing, and angiogenesis 1. In disease contexts, OGFR plays complex roles: it contributes to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by promoting cardiomyocyte apoptosis and ferroptosis through the OGF/OGFR/P21 axis and repression of ferritin genes 2. OGFR is highly expressed in aggressive prostate cancer tissue and is repressed by androgens 3. Therapeutically, OGFR antagonists like naltrexone show promise in treating autoimmune disorders by restoring enkephalin levels 4, accelerating corneal re-epithelialization in diabetic keratopathy 5, and providing cardioprotection against chemotherapy-induced toxicity 2. OGFR represents a unique growth regulatory pathway distinct from classical opioid signaling.

Sources cited
1
OGFR is a nuclear membrane receptor that binds OGF/methionine-enkephalin and regulates cell proliferation through nuclear translocation
PMID: 11890982
2
OGFR contributes to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity through apoptosis and ferroptosis pathways
PMID: 39122201
3
OGFR is highly expressed in aggressive prostate cancer and is repressed by androgens
PMID: 30246052
4
OGFR antagonists like naltrexone show therapeutic potential in autoimmune disorders
PMID: 30541348
5
OGFR modulation with naltrexone accelerates corneal re-epithelialization in diabetic keratopathy
PMID: 19683562
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
sensorineural hearing lossOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
prostate cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
disorder of earOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
type 1 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
ovarian cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
age-related hearing impairmentOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
cervical cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
lung cancerOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Phenotypic abnormalityOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
Abnormality of the breastOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
familial nonmedullary thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitisOpen Targets
0.02Suggestive
autoimmune diseaseOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
multiple sclerosisOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
MUC12Shared pathway100%PENKProtein interaction99%KAZALD1Shared pathway50%IGFBPL1Shared pathway50%EBAG9Shared pathway50%WFDC1Shared pathway50%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Lung
80%
Ovary
57%
Bone Marrow
44%
Brain
21%
Heart
14%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
OGFRMUC12PENKKAZALD1IGFBPL1EBAG9WFDC1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q9NZT2
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.98LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.67 [0.47–0.98]
RankingsWhere OGFR stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #7,095of 20,598
    Most Researched66
  • #9,408of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.98
Genes detectedOGFR
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Intermittent blockade of OGFr and treatment of autoimmune disorders.
PMID: 30541348
Exp Biol Med (Maywood) · 2018
1.00
2
Targeting OGF/OGFR signal to mitigate doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
PMID: 39122201
Free Radic Biol Med · 2024
0.90
3
Prospective oncotarget for gynecological cancer: Opioid growth factor (OGF) - opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) axis.
PMID: 31408839
Int Immunopharmacol · 2019
0.80
4
CIRBP-OGFR axis safeguards against cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy.
PMID: 35541895
Int J Biol Sci · 2022
0.70
5
The biology of the opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr).
PMID: 11890982
Brain Res Brain Res Rev · 2002
0.60