Fig. 6.

Model of cancer evolution targeting NLRC5 for immune evasion. NLRC5-dependent MHC class I expression is crucial for CD8⁺ T-cell–mediated antitumor responses and the elimination of cancer cells. Genetic and epigenetic changes, such as mutation, CN loss, or promoter methylation of NLRC5 occur during the evolution of cancer cells, leading to an impaired MHC class I system. These changes result in an impaired ability to elicit antitumor CD8⁺ T-cell responses and reduced infiltration in cancer tissues. Cancer cells successful in immune evasion cause efficient tumor development, leading to poor prognosis of cancer-bearing patients. Cancer cells (gray) and CD8⁺ T cells (orange) are shown.