Molecular interactions of IRF4 in B cell development and malignancies.

Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is a lymphoid transcription factor and a key regulator in the development of various immune cells, including T and B cells. It is well-known that IRF4 controls numerous decision-making processes relating to B cell development, including differentiation, maturation, and signalling. Consequently, genetic alterations that affect the functional aspects of IRF4 can result in clonal transformation and have been identified in various lymphoid malignancies. Over the last decades, a series of studies have demonstrated the critical cellular and structural basis underpinning IRF4-mediated B cell development and associated malignancies. In this review, we will briefly summarise the recent advances in understanding IRF4-mediated B cell development and related malignancies, with a particular focus on the molecular aspects that govern these processes. © International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021.