# FOXO4

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/foxo4/  
OnCo record `foxo4` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

FOXO4 (Forkhead box protein O4) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. The public catalogues list it as a fusion partner, and the evidence so far is association rather than a proven role.

## Summary

Transcription factor involved in the regulation of the insulin signalling pathway. Binds to insulin-response elements (IREs) and can activate transcription of IGFBP1. Down-regulates expression of HIF1A and suppresses hypoxia-induced transcriptional activation of HIF1A-modulated genes.

Open Targets scores its association with cancer at 0.57 (direct and indirect evidence; datatypes literature 0.96, genetic association 0.00, somatic mutation 0.89).

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: forkhead box O4; Forkhead box protein O4; AFX1; MLLT7
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: FOXO4
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Transcription factor involved in the regulation of the insulin signalling pathway. Binds to insulin-response elements (IREs) and can activate transcription of IGFBP1. Down-regulates expression of HIF1A and suppresses hypoxia-induced transcriptional activation of HIF1A-modulated genes. Also involved in negative regulation of the cell cycle. Involved in increased proteasome activity in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by activating expression of PSMD11 in ESCs, leading to enhanced assembly of the 26S proteasome, followed by higher proteasome activity. Location: Cytoplasm; Nucleus (UniProt). Locus Xq13.1 (HGNC).

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: UniProt disease notes describe a translocation or gene fusion involving the gene. Evidence tier "association-only" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:7139: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:7139
- UniProt P98177: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P98177/entry
- NCBI Gene 4303: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4303
- Ensembl ENSG00000184481: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000184481

## Connected records

- collections: [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/foxo4.json