BIO SEMINAR:Gene Regulation in Cancer Biology & Therapy: Focus on Interferon Regulatory Factor 4 'N. C.
Time: July 2, 2025, 13:30, FENS G029
Abstract: How the genetic information encoded in the genome is epigenetically controlled has a central position in normal development and functioning, as well as in disease states such as cancer. In this regard, altered activities of gene regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers, play predominant roles in defining the gene expression programs that define cancer cells. As cancers constitute a top health challenge, understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of gene regulatory factors is a crucial step in the development of new anti-cancer strategies.
Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is a gene regulatory transcription factor protein with important roles in the development and functioning of immune cells. We have previously identified IRF4 as a critical overexpressed factor in a variety of immune cancers, revealed its mechanisms of action, and demonstrated its value for therapeutic targeting. Other studies implicating IRF4 genetic variation and expression in melanocyte pigment cells and the related melanoma skin cancers led us to embark on a multi-pronged investigation to extensively characterize IRF4 in melanoma in order to fully leverage its translational potential.
This talk will first introduce IRF4 in the context of our previous studies that established IRF4 as a dependency factor and therapy target in immune cancers. Then it will focus on our recent work that established IRF4’s critical role in melanoma cells, identified IRF4 as an upstream regulator of epigenetic gene silencing and melanoma-critical biological pathways through multi-omic, cell and molecular biological approaches, and showed that IRF4 modulates the activity of relevant epigenetic drugs. Our current research on identifying functional and physical interaction partners of IRF4 via biochemical and CRISPR library screen-based approaches, and an upcoming project on the potential role of IRF4 in immune system modulation in melanoma will also be summarized. Finally, novel approaches in targeting IRF4 for cancer therapy, for instance using nanotechnological approaches, will be discussed within the context of another upcoming project.
Bio: Dr. N. C. Tolga Emre got his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Boğaziçi and Bilkent Universities, respectively. His doctoral research at the Wistar Institute focused on fundamental mechanisms of epigenetic gene expression control, for which he received his PhD degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. He then conducted postdoctoral research at the National Cancer Institute in the US National Institutes of Health, where he worked on projects for novel drug target identification and characterization in immune cancers.
Dr. Emre is a faculty member at Boğaziçi University’s Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics since 2011, currently as an associate professor and group leader at the Laboratory of Genome Regulation. His research focuses on gene regulatory mechanisms, especially epigenetic modifications and transcription factors in cancer biology and therapy. His research has been funded by the European Commission, European Molecular Biology Organisation, Boğaziçi University, and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, including a recent grant through the National Outstanding Researchers Program. Dr. Emre is a recipient of the 2013 Young Scientist award from the Science Academy Foundation of Turkey.