Researchers discover key functions of IRF1 in cancer progression and treatment response

University of California - Los Angeles Health SciencesJul 15 2024 Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered new details about the role of a protein called interferon regulatory factor in cancer progression and treatment response, offering new insight that can potentially help improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Philip Scumpia, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and senior author of the study To dissect the role of IRF1 in tumor growth and immune response, the team of researchers looked at what happens when IRF1 is missing in both tumor cells and surrounding cells.

Related StoriesThey found that the presence of IRF1 in tumor cells can actually weaken the immune response by promoting T cell exhaustion and by affecting toll-like receptor and type-I interferon responses. This happens because IRF1 in tumor cells increases levels of several immune checkpoints, including IDO-1 and PD-L1, proteins that inhibit T cell activity while altering the expression of proteins involved in antigen presentation.

While more study is needed to understand if targeting IRF1 in tumor cells or immune cells will be beneficial after a tumor has grown in the body, this research has helped clarify why IRF1 was shown to be a hindrance or a help in different cancer scenarios.

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