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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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OSBPL3
oxysterol binding protein like 3
Chromosome 7 · 7p15.3
NCBI Gene: 26031Ensembl: ENSG00000070882.14HGNC: HGNC:16370UniProt: Q9H4L5
88PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Transporter
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingcholesterol bindingcytosolplasma membranemathematical abilityovarian neoplasmAbnormality of the integumentdisorder of visual system
✦AI Summary

OSBPL3 (oxysterol binding protein like 3) is a lipid transfer protein that mediates non-vesicular transport of phosphoinositide 4-phosphate (PI4P) between the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum at contact sites, exchanging PI4P for phosphatidylcholine 1. It binds phosphoinositides with preference for PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3, and also cholesterol and oxysterols 23. OSBPL3 associates with ER membrane protein VAPA to stimulate RRAS signaling, which attenuates integrin β1 activation and regulates actin cytoskeleton, cell polarity, and cell adhesion 45. In cancer pathology, OSBPL3 is significantly overexpressed across multiple malignancies including pancreatic, colorectal, and liver cancers, correlating with poor prognosis and reduced differentiation 678. In pancreatic cancer, high OSBPL3 expression associates with immunosuppressive microenvironments characterized by reduced CD8+ T cell infiltration and increased regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages, predicting immunotherapy resistance 6. OSBPL3 promotes pancreatic cancer malignancy through sterol metabolic reprogramming and NOTCH pathway activation, enhancing proliferation, stemness, and chemoresistance to oxaliplatin 9. In colorectal cancer, HIF-1A upregulates OSBPL3, which then activates RAS signaling to promote proliferation, invasion, and metastasis 10. Functionally, OSBPL3 knockdown reduces cancer cell viability, induces cell cycle arrest, and promotes apoptosis 8, suggesting it represents a potential therapeutic target across multiple cancer types.

Sources cited
1
OSBPL3 (oxysterol binding protein like 3) is a lipid transfer protein that mediates non-vesicular transport of phosphoinositide 4-phosphate (PI4P) between the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum at contact sites, exchanging PI4P for phosphatidylcholine .
PMID: 32234213
2
In cancer pathology, OSBPL3 is significantly overexpressed across multiple malignancies including pancreatic, colorectal, and liver cancers, correlating with poor prognosis and reduced differentiation ,36517805,36918840].
PMID: 39789613
3
OSBPL3 promotes pancreatic cancer malignancy through sterol metabolic reprogramming and NOTCH pathway activation, enhancing proliferation, stemness, and chemoresistance to oxaliplatin .
PMID: 41799203
4
In colorectal cancer, HIF-1A upregulates OSBPL3, which then activates RAS signaling to promote proliferation, invasion, and metastasis .
PMID: 32709922
5
In cancer pathology, OSBPL3 is significantly overexpressed across multiple malignancies including pancreatic, colorectal, and liver cancers, correlating with poor prognosis and reduced differentiation ,36517805,36918840].
PMID: 36918840
Disease Associationsⓘ20
mathematical abilityOpen Targets
0.39Weak
ovarian neoplasmOpen Targets
0.31Weak
Abnormality of the integumentOpen Targets
0.30Weak
disorder of visual systemOpen Targets
0.27Weak
ArthropathyOpen Targets
0.26Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.25Weak
Genu valgumOpen Targets
0.17Weak
Genu varumOpen Targets
0.17Weak
response to fluoroquinolonesOpen Targets
0.11Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.11Weak
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.11Weak
cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
liver cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colon carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
colorectal cancerOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Abnormality of limbsOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
urinary bladder carcinomaOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
melorheostosisOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
RRASProtein interaction93%VAPAProtein interaction90%VAPBProtein interaction87%PLEK2Protein interaction73%PLEKProtein interaction72%OSBPL6Shared pathway67%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Brain
100%
Lung
82%
Bone Marrow
73%
Ovary
59%
Heart
32%
Liver
13%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
OSBPL3RRASVAPAVAPBPLEK2PLEKOSBPL6
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB7CYZ · 2.10 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.73LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.57 [0.45–0.73]
RankingsWhere OSBPL3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #5,435of 20,598
    Most Researched88
  • #5,741of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.73
Genes detectedOSBPL3
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
OSBPL3 modulates the immunosuppressive microenvironment and predicts therapeutic outcomes in pancreatic cancer.
PMID: 39789613
Biol Direct · 2025
1.00
2
Glucocorticoids, genes and brain function.
PMID: 29180230
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry · 2018
0.90
3
Clinical Value and Potential Mechanisms of Oxysterol-Binding Protein Like 3 (OSBPL3) in Human Tumors.
PMID: 34738015
Front Mol Biosci · 2021
0.80
4
OSBPL3-driven sterol metabolic reprogramming promotes oncogenic signaling and therapeutic resistance in pancreatic cancer.
PMID: 41799203
Theranostics · 2026
0.70
5
The relationships of OSBPL3 expression with KI-67 expression and KRAS mutations in CRC: implications for diagnosis and prognosis.
PMID: 36517805
BMC Med Genomics · 2022
0.60