1. Lineage- and Stage-Specific Oncogenicity of IRF4.
- Author
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Amanda, Stella, Tan, Tze King, Iida, Shinsuke, and Sanda, Takaomi
- Subjects
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INTERFERON regulatory factors , *LYMPHOCYTE transformation , *TRANSCRIPTION factors , *HEMATOLOGIC malignancies , *IMMUNE system - Abstract
• IRF4 is a master regulator of immunity that controls critical responses in various types of immune cells. • IRF4 is overexpressed and serves as an oncogene in various types of mature lymphoid neoplasms. • IRF4 potentially serves as a tumor suppressor in other cellular contexts, including immature lymphoid neoplasms. • IRF4 exerts its oncogenicity in a lineage- and stage-specific manner. Dysregulation of transcription factor genes represents a unique molecular etiology of hematological malignancies. A number of transcription factors that play a role in hematopoietic cell development, lymphocyte activation, or their maintenance have been identified as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Many of them exert oncogenic abilities in a context-dependent manner by governing the key transcriptional program unique to each cell type. IRF4, a member of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, acts as an essential regulator of the immune system and is a prime example of a stage-specific oncogene. The expression and oncogenicity of IRF4 are restricted to mature lymphoid neoplasms, while IRF4 potentially serves as a tumor suppressor in other cellular contexts. This is in marked contrast to its immediate downstream target, MYC, which can cause cancers in a variety of tissues. In this review article, we provide an overview of the roles of IRF4 in the development of the normal immune system and lymphoid neoplasms and discuss the potential mechanisms of lineage- and stage-specific oncogenicity of IRF4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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