Interestingly, constitutively expressed HBZ upregulates the transcription factor BATF3 (basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor 3) as well as BATF3/Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) target genes by binding to a super-enhancer region in the BATF3 locus and establishing an auto-regulatory loop; genetic ablation of either BATF3 or IRF4 in ATLL cells induces a profound cell-cycle arrest, possibly due to the downregulation of the target gene MYC, even in the absence of Tax [247]. This evidence concerns the gene HBZ and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.