{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T02:45:28Z","timestamp":1792118728339,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), the master regulator of regulatory T cells (Tregs), is aberrantly expressed in tumor cells, including lung cancer. Alternative splicing generates multiple isoforms, among which the full-length FOXP3 (FOXP3FL) and exon 3-deleted variant (FOXP3\u03943) are predominant. We identified FOXP3\u03943 as the major isoform in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor cells. FOXP3\u03943 expression was elevated in tumor tissues and correlated with larger tumor size and advanced T stage. Functional assays showed that tumoral FOXP3\u03943 enhanced proliferation, invasion, migration, stemness, and apoptosis resistance in NSCLC cells, exerting stronger effects than FOXP3FL. Knockdown of FOXP3\u03943 in NSCLC cells suppressed tumor growth in nude mice, confirming its oncogenic activity in vivo. Mechanistically, FOXP3\u03943 upregulated phosphorylated STAT3 and mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail), while reducing epithelial marker E-cadherin compared with FOXP3FL. Coimmunoprecipitation indicated these differences may arise from distinct STAT3 binding affinities. Additionally, FOXP3\u03943 decreased cisplatin-induced apoptosis, suggesting a role in chemoresistance. In summary, FOXP3\u03943 is the predominant oncogenic FOXP3 isoform in NSCLC tumor cells, promoting tumor cell progression and therapy resistance through STAT3 signaling. These findings highlight FOXP3\u03943 as a potential therapeutic target.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/lifemedi\/lnag024","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T12:36:52Z","timestamp":1783427812000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Tumor cell-specific exon 3-deleted FOXP3 isoform promotes growth and metastasis via STAT3 in non-small cell lung cancer"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4644-3053","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jia","family":"Peng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Hong Kong 00000,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Ocean and Tropical Medicine, Guangdong Medical University , Zhanjiang 524023,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhongqin","family":"Gong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Hong Kong 00000,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ming-Yue","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"GuangZhou Laboratory, Guangzhou International Bio Island , Guangzhou 510005,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hao","family":"Jia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital , Shenzhen 518036,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xueqing","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pingshan Hospital, Southern Medical University (People\u2019s Hospital of Shenzhen Pingshan) , Shenzhen 518118,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Calvin S H","family":"Ng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Hong Kong 00000,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7276-3830","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George G","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Hong Kong 00000,","place":["China"]},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital , Hong Kong 00000,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shucai","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department 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