Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39815239›Full record

ArticleBMC urology2025

Clinical significance and pro-oncogenic function of DBF4 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Liuyan Chen, Lvying Wu, Minying Tang, Yuanhang Cheng, Kuanyin Wang, Jianan Zhang, Wenyi Deng, Lingfeng Zhu, Jin Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC urology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Liuyan Chen *Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China.
Lvying Wu *Institute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China.
Minying Tang *Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Transplant Biology, 900th Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350025, China.
Yuanhang ChengFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Transplant Biology, 900th Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350025, China.
Kuanyin WangMinimally Invasive Urology and Translational Medicine Center, Fuzhou First General Hospital Affiliated with Fujian Medical University, 190th Dadao Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350009, China.
Jianan ZhangInstitute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China.
Wenyi DengInstitute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China.
Lingfeng ZhuInstitute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China. 191672976@qq.com.
Jin ChenInstitute of Clinical Medicine, The Second affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 368th Yehai Avenue, Haikou, Hainan, 570311, China. kingchen81@hainmc.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0794-3995

Funding

Key Research and Development Projects of Hainan Province of China ZDYF2022SHFZ133Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province 2024J011256Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province of China 822MS179
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundClear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common malignant urological tumor, and regrettably, and is insensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, resulting in poor patient outcomes. DBF4 plays a critical role in DNA replication and participates in various biological functions, making it an attractive target for cancer treatment. However, its significance in ccRCC has not yet been explored.

methodsWe utilized external datasets and bioinformatics analyses to investigate the significance of DBF4 in ccRCC. We analysed its expression patterns, prognostic and diagnostic value, and potential mechanisms. We subsequently validated our findings through an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay of ccRCC clinical samples. We further investigated the impact of DBF4 on the progression of ccRCC cells. Various assays, including assessments of cell proliferation, apoptosis, the cell cycle, cell migration and invasion, and colony formation, and xenograft tumor models were subsequently performed following to the knockdown of DBF4 expression via shRNA.

resultsBioinformatics analyses revealed that DBF4 is significantly overexpressed in ccRCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. This overexpression was confirmed by IHC analysis of 75 pairs of clinical ccRCC tumor and adjacent tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that high DBF4 expression was associated with a significantly lower five-year overall survival rate. Moreover, DBF4 expression was identified as an independent risk factor in multivariate Cox regression analysis. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed a substantial enrichment of terms associated with cell division, whereas gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed correlations between increased DBF4 expression and the activation of cell cycle-related pathways. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DBF4 knockdown in ccRCC cells not only suppressed proliferation and migration in vitro but also significantly inhibited tumor growth in xenograft mice by arresting the cell cycle at the G1/G0 phase, which was mediated by the inhibition of MCM2 phosphorylation and cyclin D1 and CDK4 expression.

conclusionThe current study revealed that DBF4 overexpression is a significant factor associated with malignant features and poor prognosis in patients with ccRCC. Therefore, it was proposed that DBF4 could serve as a novel potential prognostic biomarker and molecular target for ccRCC. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Renal CellCell Cycle ProteinsKidney NeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationClinical RelevanceFemaleHumansMaleMiceMiddle AgedPrognosisCell Cycle ProteinsBiomarkerCDC7Clear cell renal cell carcinomaDBF4Renal cell carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID39815239
PMCPMC11737091

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.