Abstract
Background
WD Repeat Domain 76 (WDR76) plays a potential role in cellular regulation; however, its comprehensive landscape across human malignancies and its specific biological function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unexplored.
Methods
We conducted a systematic pan-cancer analysis utilizing multi-omics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) atabases to evaluate WDR76 expression, subcellular localization, and its correlation with clinicopathologic features, genomic instability, and immune infiltration. Diagnostic and prognostic values were assessed via Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan-Meier analyses. Furthermore, the functional role of WDR76 in HCC was validated
in vitro
using Hep-3B and Huh7 cell lines through siRNA-mediated knockdown, followed by CCK-8, wound-healing, and transwell assays.
Results
WDR76 was significantly upregulated in the majority of tumor types, including LIHC, LUAD, and COAD, while exhibiting nuclear localization. Elevated WDR76 expression correlated with advanced tumor staging, metastasis, and poor clinical outcomes across multiple cohorts, particularly in ACC, KIRP, and LIHC. ROC analysis highlighted its exceptional diagnostic precision in cancers such as GBM and LIHC. Immunologically, WDR76 expression was intricately linked to immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint markers, and genomic instability parameters, suggesting a role in shaping the tumor microenvironment. Drug sensitivity profiling revealed that high WDR76 levels correlate with resistance to specific chemotherapeutic agents. Experimentally, silencing WDR76 in HCC cells significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities.
Conclusion
Our study establishes WDR76 as a robust pan-cancer prognostic biomarker and a potential immunotherapeutic target. Specifically, we provide experimental evidence that WDR76 functions as an oncogenic driver in liver cancer, promoting malignant phenotypes and offering a novel avenue for targeted therapeutic intervention.