FOXP1 allows tumour cells to hide from the immune system

What is it about?

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive tumour derived from white blood cells, that affects approximately 5000 new patients each year in the UK. A factor know to cause poor treatment responses in this disease is the loss of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) proteins, which normally displays fragments of tumour proteins on the cell surface to the immune system. Here we show that FOXP1, a marker of poor survival, is functionally involved in reducing cell surface MHC II expression in DLBCL.

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Why is it important?

For over a decade researchers have been trying to identify the mechanisms underlying the loss of MHC II expression in DLBCL. The ability of tumour cells to hide from patients' immune systems, by failing to present tumour proteins on the cell surface, means affected patients are less likely to be curable with standard chemotherapy and antibody drugs. Now we know that a regulatory protein called FOXP1 can suppress MHC II expression, we can design strategies to inactivate FOXP1 so that the immune system can then recognise the tumour cells. Thus FOXP1 is both a useful biomarker to identify high-risk DLBCL patients and a target for therapy.