IRF7 and cancer: Although the detailed function of IRF2, IRF3, and IRF7 in PCa remain unclear, studies demonstrated that miR-221 could inhibit cell growth and invasiveness, and induce cell apoptosis, in part by suppressing IRF2 and SOCS3 in PCa cells, and anti-cancer drug nobiletin inhibits PCa cell growth through suppressing TLR4/TRIF/IRF3 and TLR9/IRF7 pathways.532,533 On the contrary, Zhao et al. illustrated that IRF7 overexpression in PCa cells had a marked effect on inhibiting bone metastases in xenograft nude mice.534