Protein / target

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha

PDGFRAP16234Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
15
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity

Primary system

Cardiovascular system

Strongest disease association

GIST-plus syndrome

Genetic evidence · score 0.84

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

15 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

15 approved · 18 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Tyrosine-protein kinase that acts as a cell-surface receptor for PDGFA, PDGFB and PDGFC and plays an essential role in the regulation of embryonic development, cell proliferation, survival and chemotaxis. Depending on the context, promotes or inhibits cell proliferation and cell migration. Plays an important role in the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Required for normal skeleton development and cephalic closure during embryonic development. Required for normal development of the mucosa lining the gastrointestinal tract, and for recruitment of mesenchymal cells and normal development of intestinal villi. Plays a role in cell migration and chemotaxis in wound healing. Plays a role in platelet activation, secretion of agonists from platelet granules, and in thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Binding of its cognate ligands - homodimeric PDGFA, homodimeric PDGFB, heterodimers formed by PDGFA and PDGFB or homodimeric PDGFC -leads to the activation of several signaling cascades; the response depends on the nature of the bound ligand and is modulated by the formation of heterodimers between PDGFRA and PDGFRB. Phosphorylates PIK3R1, PLCG1, and PTPN11. Activation of PLCG1 leads to the production of the cellular signaling molecules diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, mobilization of cytosolic Ca(2+) and the activation of protein kinase C. Phosphorylates PIK3R1, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and thereby mediates activation of the AKT1 signaling pathway. Mediates activation of HRAS and of the MAP kinases MAPK1/ERK2 and/or MAPK3/ERK1. Promotes activation of STAT family members STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5A and/or STAT5B. Receptor signaling is down-regulated by protein phosphatases that dephosphorylate the receptor and its down-stream effectors, and by rapid internalization of the activated receptor

Subcellular location

Cell membraneCell projection, ciliumGolgi apparatus
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (58)

Domains & features

Ig-like C2-type 1Ig-like C2-type 2Ig-like C2-type 3Ig-like C2-type 4Ig-like C2-type 5Protein kinase

Gene Ontology

  • Ccilium
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Cendoplasmic reticulum membrane
  • Cexternal side of plasma membrane
  • CGolgi apparatus
  • Cmembrane
  • Cmicrovillus
  • Cnucleus
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cprotein-containing complex
  • Creceptor complex
  • FATP binding

1089 aa · 123 kDa · 3 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Kinase signallingUniProt · GOHaemostasisUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Kinase signalling

  • ·Tyrosine-protein kinase that acts as a cell-surface receptor for PDGFA, PDGFB and PDGFC…
  • ·protein kinase activity
  • ·transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity
  • ·peptidyl-tyrosine autophosphorylation

Haemostasis

  • ·Tyrosine-protein kinase that acts as a cell-surface receptor for PDGFA, PDGFB and PDGFC…
  • ·platelet-derived growth factor alpha-receptor activity
  • ·platelet-derived growth factor binding
  • ·platelet-derived growth factor receptor binding
View underlying pathways (13)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

PDGFCPDGFAPDGFBPDGFDPTPN11PIK3R1PIK3CAPDGFRBPLCG1EGFPDGFRA

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

2

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

sunitinib
ApprovedInhibitor

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving gastrointestinal stromal tumor, renal cell carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, neuroendocrine neoplasm

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 9 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

regorafenib
ApprovedInhibitor

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving colorectal cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, colorectal neoplasm, neoplasm

Acts on a complex — shared with PDGFRB · 1 of 18 recorded protein targets — broad pharmacology

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

GIST-plus syndrome0.84

Genetic · overall 0.74

gastrointestinal stromal tumor0.65

Genetic · overall 0.82

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

renal cell carcinoma0.98

Clinical · overall 0.60

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis0.96

Clinical · overall 0.60

neoplasm0.95

Clinical · overall 0.64

sarcoma0.91

Clinical · overall 0.61

acute myeloid leukemia0.91

Clinical · overall 0.63

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

cancer0.63

Pathway

soft tissue sarcoma0.61

Clinical

non-small cell lung carcinoma0.60

Clinical

Show all associations
gastrointestinal stromal tumor0.82
GIST-plus syndrome0.74
neoplasm0.64
acute myeloid leukemia0.63
cancer0.63
soft tissue sarcoma0.61
sarcoma0.61
renal cell carcinoma0.60
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis0.60
non-small cell lung carcinoma0.60

Open Targets ranks 4,767 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 33 total

SU-014813Phase 2

breast cancer · neoplasm

FAMITINIBPhase 3

colorectal adenocarcinoma · non-small cell lung carcinoma · gastrointestinal stromal tumor

TAK-593Phase 1
CEDIRANIBApproval

neoplasm · peritoneum cancer · colorectal cancer

OLARATUMABApproval

sarcoma · soft tissue sarcoma · neoplasm

DOVITINIBPhase 3

renal cell carcinoma · endometrial cancer · triple-negative breast carcinoma

RIPRETINIBApproval

gastrointestinal stromal tumor · gastrointestinal stromal tumor · neoplasm

PAZOPANIBApproval

renal cell carcinoma · neoplasm · renal cell carcinoma

ORANTINIBPhase 3

hepatocellular carcinoma

SUNITINIB MALATEApproval

renal cell carcinoma · gastrointestinal stromal tumor · neuroendocrine neoplasm

Tractability

SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · Approved DrugAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

COMPLETED · via sunitinib · NCT00357318

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Related literature

1

Papers indexed under “Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha” — a subject heading that covers this protein without being specific to it. Shown as context; not counted as this protein's own research activity.

Genomic profiling in GIST: Implications in clinical outcome and future challenges.

Calderillo-Ruíz G · Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2024

Europe PMC literature, reached through a MeSH descriptor linked to this protein.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

gastrointestinal stromal tumorWell supported
0.98
agreement 0.901.00
Clinical29%Genetic26%Somatic mutation20%Pathway15%Literature6%Animal model4%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.82 · 6 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

GIST-plus syndromeWell supported
0.83
agreement 0.710.95
Genetic100%Genetic literaturedup

Open Targets aggregate 0.74 · 1 independent evidence family · 1 not counted as duplicate

neoplasmWell supported
0.80
agreement 0.680.92
Clinical68%Somatic mutation19%Literature14%

Open Targets aggregate 0.64 · 3 independent evidence families

acute myeloid leukemiaWell supported
0.80
agreement 0.680.92
Clinical63%Somatic mutation27%Literature10%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 3 independent evidence families

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosisWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.650.91
Clinical77%Animal model17%Literature6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.60 · 3 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

30

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through 2 drugs that target this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. New publication2025-01-06
    Efficacy of pembrolizumab in microsatellite-stable, tumor mutational burden-high metastatic colorectal cancer: genomic signatures and clinical outcomes.

    ESMO open · 2025 · 10 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

  2. New publication2024-06-04
    Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab Versus Standard of Care for Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Final Analysis of the Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III LEAP-017 Study.

    Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024 · 69 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

  3. New publication2024-05-03
    Machine-learning and mechanistic modeling of metastatic breast cancer after neoadjuvant treatment.

    PLoS computational biology · 2024 · 10 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  4. New publication2024-01-05
    Genomic profiling in GIST: Implications in clinical outcome and future challenges.

    Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2024 · 20 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  5. New publication2021-03-01
    Nivolumab plus Cabozantinib versus Sunitinib for Advanced Renal-Cell Carcinoma.

    The New England journal of medicine · 2021 · 1,297 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  6. Regulatory approval2021-02-11

    Approval: Sunitinib Accord (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via sunitinib

  7. New publication2020-08-11
    Targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2020 · 565 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

  8. New publication2020-06-21
    Liver transarterial chemoembolization and sunitinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Results of the PRODIGE 16 study.

    Clinics and research in hepatology and gastroenterology · 2021 · 15 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  9. New publication2020-04-25
    Updated efficacy results from the JAVELIN Renal 101 trial: first-line avelumab plus axitinib versus sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

    Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology · 2020 · 319 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  10. New publication2019-11-04
    Molecular targeted and immune checkpoint therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2019 · 162 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

  11. New publication2019-08-16
    Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus sunitinib in first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma: extended follow-up of efficacy and safety results from a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial.

    The Lancet. Oncology · 2019 · 595 citations · Europe PMC · via sunitinib

  12. New publication2019-04-23
    Randomized Double-Blind Phase II Study of Regorafenib in Patients With Metastatic Osteosarcoma.

    Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2019 · 199 citations · Europe PMC · via regorafenib

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.