Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40722714›Full record

ReviewBiomedicines2025

Unlocking the Role of OCT4 in Cancer Lineage Plasticity: A Cross-Cancer Perspective with an Emphasis on Prostate Cancer.

Mohammad Esfini Farahani, Yanquan Zhang, Amos Olalekan Akinyemi, Fatemeh Seilani, Md Rakibul Alam, Xiaoqi Liu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomedicines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Mohammad Esfini FarahaniDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-0645-3561
Yanquan ZhangDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Amos Olalekan AkinyemiDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8074-8454
Fatemeh SeilaniDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Md Rakibul AlamDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Xiaoqi LiuDepartment of Toxicology and Cancer Biology, Collage of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) representing its most aggressive and therapy-resistant forms. Emerging evidence indicates that lineage plasticity-driven by key transcription factors such as Octamer Binding Factor 4 (OCT4)-plays a crucial role in therapeutic resistance and disease progression. OCT4, in coordination with SOX2 and NANOG, acts as a master regulator of stemness and is frequently upregulated in prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs). This upregulation contributes to tumor initiation, metastasis, and resistance to both androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and chemotherapy. In this review, we explore the role of OCT4 in mediating lineage plasticity in prostate cancer, with particular emphasis on its involvement in treatment resistance and neuroendocrine differentiation. We also examine therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting OCT4 directly, such as microRNA-mediated suppression, small-molecule inhibitors, and suicide gene therapy, as well as indirect approaches that modulate OCT4 expression via FGFR and NF-κB signaling pathways. While these strategies offer promising avenues, challenges such as adaptive resistance and the intricate signaling networks within PCSCs remain significant hurdles. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying OCT4-driven plasticity may pave the way for novel therapeutic approaches and improved outcomes in advanced prostate cancer.

Indexed as

androgen deprivation therapycastration-resistant prostate cancerneuroendocrine prostate canceroctamer-binding transcription factor 4prostate cancer stem cells

Identifiers

PMID40722714
PMCPMC12292717

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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.