Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40264098›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Identification of USP39 as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for determining the response to immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer.

Jiahui Yuan, Beibei Xu, Yongcheng Su, Pingping Zhang, Xianbin Zhang, Peng Gong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    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

6 authors.

Jiahui YuanDepartment of General Surgery, Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Ingredients and Gut Microbiomics, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
Beibei XuCAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Yongcheng SuXiamen Key Laboratory for Tumor Metastasis, Cancer Research School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
Pingping ZhangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Xianbin ZhangDepartment of General Surgery, Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Ingredients and Gut Microbiomics, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
Peng GongDepartment of General Surgery, Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Ingredients and Gut Microbiomics, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China. doctorgongpeng@szu.edu.cn.

Funding

Medical-Engineering Interdisciplinary Research Foundation of Shenzhen University 2023YG019National Natural Science Foundation of China 82100661National Natural Science Foundation of China 82203638Shenzhen Key Medical Discipline Construction Fund & Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen SZSM202111002Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission RCBS20200714114958333
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 39 (USP39) has been implicated in numerous malignancies, however, its pathogenic mechanisms and impact on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) remain incompletely characterized. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic values of USP39 across various cancer types. Additionally, we examined the correlation between USP39 expression and immune-related gene signature, immune cell infiltration pattern, tumor microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutation burden (TMB). This study specifically focused on exploring the clinical relevance and molecular functions of USP39 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), with particularly emphasis on its role in shaping the TIME and modulating responses to immunotherapy. The results demonstrated that evaluated USP39 expression significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage and unfavorable clinical outcomes across multiple cancer types, most notably in PAAD. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that USP39 potentially promotes tumor progression through multiple oncogenic signaling cascades. In vitro experimental validation confirmed that USP39 knockdown inhibited migration and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells while inducing apoptosis. Additionally, we identified significant positive correlations between USP39 expression and immune checkpoint molecules, particularly prominent in PAAD. Furthermore, we observed associations between USP39 expression and TMB in 16 cancer types and MSI in 11 cancer types, suggesting that heightened USP39 expression may enhance responsiveness to immunotherapeutic interventions. Collectively, our findings establish USP39 as a valuable immune-related biomarker with both diagnostic and prognostic utility across multiple cancer types, especially PAAD, underscoring its potential as a promising therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Indexed as

AdenocarcinomaBiomarkers, TumorImmunotherapyPancreatic NeoplasmsUbiquitin-Specific ProteasesCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMicrosatellite InstabilityPrognosisTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorUbiquitin-Specific ProteasesUSP39 protein, humanImmunotherapyPancreatic cancerPrognosisTumor microenvironmentUSP39

Identifiers

PMID40264098
PMCPMC12016207

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Registered trials

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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.