A novel role of master regulator transcription factor in anti-tumor immunity and cancer immunotherapy

Gene expression network in cancer cells is orchestrated by a small number of master regulator transcription factors (MRTFs), which play a prominent role in regulating cancer intrinsic hallmarks, such as sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors, resisting cell death, etc. A new study reports a new role of one MRTF, KLF5, in regulating tumor microenvironment in an extrinsic manner. These findings not only reveal novel mechanistic underpinnings of tumor evasion from immune destruction but also broaden our understanding of the transcriptional deregulation in cancer biology.