Let’s give BACH2 a breath of fresh air

Abstract

In this issue of Blood, Zhang and colleagues identify that BACH2 acts as a tumor suppressor protein in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Low levels of BACH2 are associated with poor outcome in MCL patients and in vitro resistance in cell lines to both targeted agents (proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib) and chemotherapy agents (etoposide, methotrexate). BACH2 is negatively regulated in hypoxic conditions, as in the bone marrow microenvironment, via a regulatory loop involving hypoxia-induced factor-1a, heme, and prolyl hydroxylase 3.1