Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42515677›Full record

ReviewPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Regulatory Mechanisms of XBP1 in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Progression: Challenges and Therapeutic Strategies.

Haiyan Jiang, Zhanzhan Li, Jie Wang, Hualin Sun, Lei Qi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Haiyan JiangDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Zhanzhan LiJiangsu Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Neuroregeneration, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Jie WangJiangsu Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Neuroregeneration, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Hualin SunJiangsu Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Neuroregeneration, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.
Lei QiDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82401633
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a common state of cellular adversity experienced by tumor cells under unfavorable conditions such as hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, and oncogene activation. As the most conserved signaling branch of the unfolded protein response (UPR), the inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)- X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1) pathway plays a central role in sustaining tumor cell survival, driving malignant progression, and remodeling the tumor microenvironment (TME). XBP1, the terminal transcription factor of this pathway, finely orchestrates tumor cell fate through both its canonical and non-canonical functions. This review systematically summarizes the dual mechanisms of XBP1 in cancer: within cancer cells, XBP1 promotes proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance via metabolic reprogramming, anti-apoptotic proteins, and DNA repair; within immune cells (macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells), XBP1 fosters an immunosuppressive microenvironment, while also modulating cancer-associated fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and osteoclasts. Despite its therapeutic promise, several major unresolved questions remain, including the precise molecular switch governing XBP1's pro-tumorigenic versus anti-tumorigenic functions, the functional divergence between XBP1u and XBP1s isoforms in different cellular contexts, and the lack of reliable predictive biomarkers for patient stratification. Key translational challenges involve the on-target toxicity of systemic XBP1/IRE1α inhibition due to its essential roles in normal tissues, the cell-type-specific and context-dependent effects that complicate therapeutic outcomes, and the limited selectivity and off-target effects of current inhibitors, as well as compensatory activation of other UPR branches that may drive adaptive resistance. Finally, this review discusses XBP1-targeted therapeutic strategies, including small-molecule inhibitors, nucleic acid-based drugs, immunotherapeutic combination approaches, and XBP1-based tumor vaccines, and provides perspectives on future research directions, aiming to establish a theoretical foundation for the development of more effective and precise XBP1-targeted therapies for tumorigenesis and cancer progression.

Indexed as

endoplasmic reticulum stressimmunosuppressiontargeted therapytherapeutic resistancetumor microenvironmentXBP1

Identifiers

PMID42515677
PMCPMC13414972

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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.