Collectively, these results suggest that IRF-2 plays an important role in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer and down-regulation of IRF-2 would be a new treatment target for pancreatic cancer.
To further assess the potential impact of IRF-2 mutations in tumorigenesis, we screened fresh pancreatic tumor explants and identified 2 IRF-2 point mutations in the 2 alleles of IRF-2 from a single tumor specimen.
Transcriptional activator interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-1 and repressor IRF-2 are known to play a critical role in the regulation of interferon (IFN) responses and oncogenesis in fibroblasts.