CANX

Overview

CANX (calnexin) is an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein that is a key component of the MHC class I antigen-processing machinery (APM). It assists in the proper folding and assembly of MHC class I heavy chains with beta-2-microglobulin and peptides. In cancer, somatic mutations disrupting CANX and other APM components can impair antigen presentation and facilitate immune escape, particularly in tumors under immune selective pressure.

Alterations observed in the corpus

• Components of the MHC class I antigen-processing machinery (APM), including CANX (calnexin), were enriched for somatic mutations in TIL-rich colorectal tumors, consistent with immune-escape selection PMID:27149842.

Cancer types (linked)

• CRC: CANX somatic mutations enriched in TIL-rich colorectal tumors as part of a broader APM mutation signature suggesting adaptive immune escape PMID:27149842.

Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity

• Co-mutated with other APM components (B2M, CALR, HSPA5, PDIA3, TAP1, TAP2, TAPBP) in TIL-rich colorectal tumors under immune-escape selection PMID:27149842.

Therapeutic relevance

• APM mutations including CANX are a candidate adaptive resistance mechanism to immune attack, with implications for resistance to checkpoint blockade PMID:27149842.

Open questions

• Whether HLA/APM-mutant tumors (including CANX-mutant) are actually less responsive to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 was left as an open question PMID:27149842.

Sources

• PMID:27149842

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