# IRF8

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/irf8/  
OnCo record `irf8` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

IRF8 (Interferon regulatory factor 8) is a protein that switches other genes on and off. The public catalogues list it as a biomarker, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Leukaemia, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

## Summary

Transcription factor that specifically binds to the upstream regulatory region of type I interferon (IFN) and IFN-inducible MHC class I genes (the interferon consensus sequence (ICS)). Can both act as a transcriptional activator or repressor. Plays a negative regulatory role in cells of the immune system.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 1 variant.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: interferon regulatory factor 8; Interferon regulatory factor 8; IRF-8; ICSBP; ICSBP1
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: IRF8
- Class: transcription
- Biology: Transcription factor that specifically binds to the upstream regulatory region of type I interferon (IFN) and IFN-inducible MHC class I genes (the interferon consensus sequence (ICS)). Can both act as a transcriptional activator or repressor. Plays a negative regulatory role in cells of the immune system. Involved in CD8(+) dendritic cell differentiation by forming a complex with the BATF-JUNB heterodimer in immune cells, leading to recognition of AICE sequence (5'-TGAnTCA/GAAA-3'), an immune-specific regulatory element, followed by cooperative binding of BATF and IRF8 and activation of genes. Required for the development of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which produce most of the type I IFN in response to viral infection. Positively regulates macroautophagy in dendritic cells. Location: Nucleus; Cytoplasm (UniProt). Locus 16q24.1 (HGNC).
- Where found: Leukaemia: Open Targets association 0.56 with leukaemia (MONDO_0005059); Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Open Targets association 0.51 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MONDO_0018908); Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: CIViC evidence names this disease

## 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: CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:5358: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:5358
- UniProt Q02556: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q02556/entry
- NCBI Gene 3394: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3394
- Ensembl ENSG00000140968: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000140968

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/), [Open Targets Platform](https://onco.cc/collections/open-targets/)
- cancers: [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/dlbcl/), [Leukaemia (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/leukaemia/), [Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)](https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/irf8.json