Table 1.
Functions of FOX factors in cancer.
| FOX factors | Roles in cancer |
|---|---|
| FOXA1 and | Bind to sequences on AR gene (58, 61) |
| FOXA2 | Open compact chromatin for AR and ER recruitment (45, 58, 132) |
| Duality in EMT activation, cancer (26, 58) | |
| Promote lipid precursor accumulation (99) | |
| Pioneering factors (130) | |
| FOXM1 | Increases AR levels via recruitment of AR to CDC6 in the absence of androgen stimulation (65) |
| Correlates with ER and HER2 expression (48, 65, 80) | |
| Binds to forkhead response elements located in the proximal region of ER promoter (49) | |
| Increases drug resistance via overexpression of DNA damage response genes (70, 75, 76) | |
| Initiates EMT through binding of Slug promoter (31) | |
| Induces senescence via regulation of cell division at G2–M (107, 109) | |
| Promotes Warburg effects (94) | |
| FOXO3 | Binds to AR promoter (66) |
| Regulates cell fate via apoptosis induction (13, 73) | |
| Upregulates drug efflux and activation of the PI3K pathway (13, 14, 72, 75) | |
| FOXC2 | Upregulates EMT, CSC population, and AKT signaling, leading to drug resistance (16, 80, 97) |
| Enriches the CSC population in tumors (16) | |
| Mediates G2–M transition (141) | |
| Promotes fatty-acid oxidation (102) | |
| FOXP1 | Represses AR-targeting genes via the formation of dimers with FOXP2 and FOXP4 (67) |
| FOXO4 | Increases p21, a senescence marker (113) |
| Binds to p53 at the area of DNA damage and activates the p21 promoter (113) | |
| FOXO1 | Stimulates dendritic cells and T and B lymphocytes (121) |
| Binds to FOXP3 promoter and regulates the production of Treg cells (135) | |
| Elicits an immunosuppressive environment (121) | |
| Pioneering factor (136) | |
| FOXP3 | Binds directly to β-catenin and upregulates GSK3β (34) |
| Maintains proper function of Treg cells (122, 123, 125) | |
| FOXQ1 | Activates PDGFR-α and β, Twist, and ZEB2, leading to EMT induction (37, 38, 88) |
| Controls expression of MDM2, a regulator of p53 (87, 89) | |
| Induces proliferation through suppression of IL6 and IL8 (115) | |
| FOXF2 | Promotes bone metastasis in breast cancer (40) |
| Induces EMT and cancer progression, cancer-specific (41, 42) |