Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41249572›Full record

ArticleNature cell biology2025

DNA fragmentation factor B suppresses interferon to enable cancer persister cell regrowth.

August F Williams, David A G Gervasio, Claire E Turkal, Anna E Stuhlfire, Michael X Wang, Brandon E Mauch, Rhea Plawat, Ariel H Nguyen, Michelle H Paw, Mehrshad Hairani and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature cell biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Targeting tumor transition windows.Exploration of targeted anti-tumor therapy · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

August F WilliamsDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1994-2033
David A G GervasioDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Claire E TurkalDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Anna E StuhlfireDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9303-3295
Michael X WangDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7937-8708
Brandon E MauchDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Rhea PlawatDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-4674-0333
Ariel H NguyenDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2525-8011
Michelle H PawDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Mehrshad HairaniDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-1790-9776
Cooper P LathropDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Sophie H HarrisDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Jennifer L PageStem Cell Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5822-0298
Matthew J HangauerDepartment of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. mhangauer@ucsd.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5008-6696

Funding

VIRAL MALIGNANCYP30CA023100 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI DIANE M SIMEONE · 1985 to 2026
$124.9M
VirologyP30AI036214 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI SUSAN JANET LITTLE · 1994 to 2026
$78.4M
Contemporary Approaches to Cancer Cell Signaling and CommunicationT32CA009523 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI DONOGHUE, DANIEL J, YANG, JING · 1985 to 2025
$12.1M
Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training in Cancer Cell BiologyT32CA067754 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI JEAN Y.J. WANG · 1995 to 2026
$6.5M
Functional Networks for Persister Cell SensitivitiesR01CA212767 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI MCMANUS, MICHAEL T · 2017 to 2021
$2.6M
Illumina NovaSeq 6000 Sequencing SystemS10OD026929 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI JEPSEN, KRISTEN LYNN · 2019 to 2019
$600k
American Cancer Society (American Cancer Society, Inc.) IRG-19-230-48-IRGMelanoma Research Alliance (MRA) 689282NCI NIH HHS P30 CA023100NCI NIH HHS R01 CA212767NCI NIH HHS T32 CA009523NCI NIH HHS T32 CA067754NIAID NIH HHS P30 AI036214NIH HHS S10 OD026929United States Department of Defense | United States Army | Army Medical Command | Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) ME230211U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) CA009523U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) CA067754U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) CA212767V Foundation for Cancer Research (V Foundation) V2021-035
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Oncogene-targeted cancer therapies can provide deep responses but frequently suffer from acquired resistance. Therapeutic approaches to treat tumours that have acquired drug resistance are complicated by continual tumour evolution and multiple co-occurring resistance mechanisms. Rather than treating resistance after it emerges, it may be possible to prevent it by inhibiting the adaptive processes that initiate resistance, but these are poorly understood. Here we report that residual cancer persister cells that survive oncogene-targeted therapy are growth arrested by drug stress-induced intrinsic type I interferon signalling. To escape growth arrest, persister cells leverage apoptotic machinery to transcriptionally suppress interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Mechanistically, persister cells sublethally engage apoptotic caspases to activate DNA endonuclease DNA fragmentation factor B (also known as caspase-activated DNase), which induces DNA damage, mutagenesis and stress response factor activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3). ATF3 limits activator protein 1-mediated ISG expression sufficiently to allow persister cell regrowth. Persister cells deficient in DNA fragmentation factor B or ATF3 exhibit high ISG expression and are consequently unable to regrow. Therefore, sublethal apoptotic stress paradoxically promotes the regrowth of residual cancer cells that survive drug treatment.

Indexed as

Interferon Type INeoplasmsActivating Transcription Factor 3AnimalsAntineoplastic AgentsApoptosisCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationDNA DamageDrug Resistance, NeoplasmGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceSignal TransductionActivating Transcription Factor 3Antineoplastic AgentsATF3 protein, humanInterferon Type I

Identifiers

PMID41249572
PMCPMC12717002

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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 OpenQuestion graph.