Abstract:BMI1 (B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1), an important member of the polycomb gene (PcG) family, plays crucial roles in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation and is related to the occurrence and development of tumors. As a proto-oncogene, BMI1 is overexpressed in various human cancers. It participates in tumor development through various pathways such as promoting tumor cell proliferation, maintaining tumor cell stemness, and promoting DNA damage repair. The review focused on the molecular structure and function of BMI1, upstream regulatory mechanisms, as well as the relationship between BMI1 and tumor cell proliferation, tumor immune microenvironment, tumor cell stemness and DNA damage repair, and the changes in signaling pathways caused by BMI1. In addition, the review also summarized the role of BMI1 in chemotherapy resistance, as well as current agents targeting BMI1.