Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41708282›Full record

ArticleGenes & development2026

Loss of the tumor suppressor PTEN activates cell-intrinsic interferon signaling to drive immune resistance.

Yubao Wang, Cherubin Manokaran, Yutian Zou, Jiajia Chen, Hao Gu, David Liu, Philippe Bousso, Jean J Zhao, Thomas M Roberts

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genes & development, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yubao Wang *Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; thomas_roberts@dfci.harvard.edu yubao_wang@dfci.harvard.edu jean_zhao@dfci.harvard.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2703-3104
Cherubin Manokaran *Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.ORCID 0009-0005-1067-883X
Yutian ZouDepartment of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5205-9923
Jiajia ChenDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5378-6284
Hao GuDepartment of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0204-2875
David LiuDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0346-5033
Philippe BoussoDynamics of Immune Responses Unit, U1223, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, Paris 75015, France.ORCID 0000-0002-6362-561X
Jean J ZhaoDepartment of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; thomas_roberts@dfci.harvard.edu yubao_wang@dfci.harvard.edu jean_zhao@dfci.harvard.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-4561-5688
Thomas M RobertsDepartment of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA; thomas_roberts@dfci.harvard.edu yubao_wang@dfci.harvard.edu jean_zhao@dfci.harvard.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-6453-3955

Funding

Tissue and Pathology CoreP50CA168504 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI LEIF W ELLISEN, NANCY U LIN · 2013 to 2026
$30.1M
Targeting WEE1 in uterine serous or p53-mutated uterine cancerP01CA269021 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI Panagiotis Konstantinopoulos, Joyce Liu · 2024 to 2026
$11.8M
Integrating targeted therapy and immunotherapy to break through cancerR35CA210057 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI Jean Zhao · 2016 to 2026
$10.8M
Maximizing the Effectiveness of PI3K Inhibitors in the Treatment of Pten null CancersR35CA231945 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI ROBERTS, THOMAS M · 2019 to 2025
$7.1M
NCI NIH HHS P01 CA269021NCI NIH HHS P50 CA168504NCI NIH HHS R35 CA210057NCI NIH HHS R35 CA231945
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Loss of the tumor suppressor PTEN is strongly associated with a lack of response to immune checkpoint blockade therapies in cancer patients, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We have developed a transformation model where knocking out PTEN in human mammary epithelial cells drives dependence on the p110β subunit of PI3K and, notably, elicits a robust induction of endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs) and activation of interferon signaling. This constitutive cell-intrinsic interferon response, hallmarked by hyperactivated STAT1, is also observed in human tumors with a PTEN-low status. We further found that PTEN deficiency renders cancer cells resistant to the cytotoxic effects of immune cells and interferon-γ. Notably, PTEN loss also results in a dependency on an activated DNA damage response pathway, leading to an exquisite vulnerability to CDK12 inhibition. Our study suggests an interferon adaptation model in which tumors driven by PTEN deficiency inherently activate the interferon response, enabling them to adapt to interferon cytotoxicity and gain resistance to immunotherapies.

Indexed as

InterferonsPTEN PhosphohydrolaseSignal TransductionAnimalsCell Line, TumorDNA DamageFemaleHumansInterferon-gammaMiceSTAT1 Transcription FactorInterferon-gammaInterferonsPTEN PhosphohydrolasePTEN protein, humanSTAT1 Transcription FactorCDK12immune checkpoint blockadeinterferon responsePTEN

Identifiers

PMID41708282
PMCPMC13367035

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.