The Role and Mechanism of the IFN-α/BST2 in the Occurrence and Development of Cervical Cancer

doi:10.12280/gjszjk.20250547

Abstract

Abstract:

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide, and its initiation and progression are closely associated with the persistent infection of high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV). Interferon-α (IFN-α), as an important immunoregulatory cytokine, has been used as an adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer, but its efficacy varies among individuals and the mechanisms remain unclear. Bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) is a key downstream effector of IFN-α with distinctive antiviral function. IFN-α exerts antiviral and antitumor effects by inducing interferon-stimulated genes including BST2. Two main roles of the overexpressed BST2 in cervical cancer are: on one hand, BST2 as an innate immune factor restricts viral release; on the other hand, BST2 within the tumor microenvironment promotes tumor cell proliferation, inhibits apoptosis, and regulates macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype and suppresses natural killer cell cytotoxicity by activating signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) /extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, thereby shaping an immunosuppressive microenvironment and facilitating immune evasion. In addition, BST2 expression is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA hypomethylation and the long non-coding RNA FGD5 antisense 1 (lncRNA FGD5-AS1) /microRNA-129-5p (miR-129-5p) axis. The IFN-BST2-HLA (human leukocyte antigen) axis also plays a role in immune recognition and escape. This review summarizes the relationship and molecular mechanisms between IFN-α/BST2 and the occurrence and development of cervical cancer, providing a basis for developing new targeted therapies.

Key words: Interferon-alpha, Bone marrow stromal antigen 2, Uterine cervical neoplasms, Carcinoma, Cell proliferation, Apoptosis, DNA methylation

LIU Pei-fen, SUO Jing. The Role and Mechanism of the IFN-α/BST2 in the Occurrence and Development of Cervical Cancer[J]. Journal of International Reproductive Health/Family Planning, 2026, 45(2): 150-153.

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