Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39817582›Full record

ArticleImmunity, inflammation and disease2025

Identification of SETD4 as an Onco-Immunological Biomarker Encompassing the Tumor Microenvironment, Prognoses, and Therapeutic Responses in Various Human Cancers.

Yuyun Zhong, Ruiqi Wang, Zijie Huang, Zhaoting Hu, Bin Peng, Bin Chen, Liyue Sun

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Immunity, inflammation and disease, 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

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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. Integrative Analysis UncoversCurrent issues in molecular biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

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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

7 authors.

Yuyun ZhongDepartment of Health Management Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Ruiqi WangDepartment of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated With Jinan University, Zhuhai, China.
Zijie HuangDepartment of Plastic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zhaoting HuDepartment of Health Management Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Bin PengDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Bin ChenDepartment of Health Management Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Liyue SunSecond Department of Oncology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1919-0820

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82102263, 82302640 and 82303902), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project (No. 2021M690776), the Xiangshan Talented Scientific Research Project of Zhuhai People's Hospital (No. 2021XSYC-02), Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Project (No. 2023A04J1129), Guangdong Medical Scientific Research (No. B2023038), Shanghai Rehabilitation Medicine Association Health Management Special Fund Project (No. 2024JGYQ11), and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Project of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 20241293).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4) is a histone methyltransferase that has been shown to modulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and inflammatory responses by regulating histone H4 trimethylation (H4K20me3). Previous reports have demonstrated its function in the quiescence of cancer stem cells as well as drug resistance in several cancers. A limited number of systematic studies have examined SETD4's role in the tumor microenvironment, pathogenesis, prognosis, and therapeutic response.

methodsUtilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and other publicly accessible platforms, we comprehensively analyzed SETD4 gene expression, methylation patterns, and prognostic significance. Furthermore, we investigated its association with cancer-related pathways, the immune microenvironment, immunotherapy markers, and drug resistance signatures of chemotherapy. Additionally, qRT-PCR was performed to validate SETD4 expression in clinical specimens.

resultsThe expression of SETD4 was abnormal across a variety of cancer types and the expression of SETD4 in colorectal cancer tissues was verified in clinical specimens. The upregulation of SETD4 may be a prognostic risk factor predicting poor overall survival and progression-free survival. The analysis revealed that the mRNA level of SETD4 was modulated by promoter methylation, and patients with lower methylation levels showed shorter survival times. Pathway analysis showed that SETD4 influenced several key cell cycle pathways, including the G2M checkpoint, and mitotic spindle pathways. In addition, SETD4 negatively affects immune cell infiltration in most cancers, including B cells, CD8 T cells, and macrophages. The correlation between SETD4 and cancer stemness as well as homologous recombination deficiency varied across tumor types, suggesting that SETD4 may play a multifaceted role in tumor resistance. Notably, we identified several potential agents targeting SETD4.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates that SETD4 is an immune-oncogenic molecule in multiple cancers, with the potential to be a diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy marker.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorHistone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseHistone MethyltransferasesNeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentDNA MethylationGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorHistone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseHistone Methyltransferasescancer stemnesspancancerprognosisSETD4tumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID39817582
PMCPMC11736640

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