IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 3 (IQGAP3)

IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 3 (IQGAP3) is a scaffold protein of the IQGAP family, containing multiple functional domains such as IQ motifs and a Ras-GAP–related domain. It is widely expressed in various tissues—including brain, liver, stomach, ovaries, prostate, breast, pancreas, and lung—and is critical for cytoskeletal dynamics and intracellular signaling. IQGAP3 plays a pivotal role in cytoskeletal remodeling, cell proliferation, and migration by facilitating both actin filament organization and regulating signaling pathways such as ERK/MAPK and PI3K/AKT. Overexpression of IQGAP3 is associated with cancer cell proliferation, invasion, stemness, resistance to therapy (including radioresistance), and poor clinical outcomes in several cancer types. Its status as a predictive biomarker of progression and therapeutic response underscores its candidacy as an oncogenic therapeutic target and diagnostic marker. There are currently no drugs targeting IQGAP3 directly, but related pathway inhibitors are under clinical investigation.

Other names

Ras GTPase-activating-like protein IQGAP3IQGAP family member 3IQGAP-3

No known drugs directly target IQGAP3; inhibitory effects may be indirect, e.g., via PI3K/AKT or ERK/MAPK pathway inhibitors.