DSCC1 Identified as Promising Tumor Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target Through Comprehensive Multi-omics Analysis and Experimental Validation.

Abstract

As a component of the alternative replication factor C (RFC) complex, DSCC1 plays a significant role in cancer progression due to its aberrant expression. However, the potential function of DSCC1 in a pan-cancer context remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of DSCC1's role in tumors by integrating multi-omics bioinformatics tools. First, we utilized various databases to compare the expression of DSCC1 between tumor and normal tissues, revealing a strong association between its dysregulated expression and clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and staging. Additionally, we investigated different mutation types of DSCC1 and their contributions to cancer progression, finding that DSCC1 expression is regulated by epigenetics and RNA modifications. Furthermore, we explored the correlation between DSCC1 and immune-infiltrating cells, as well as immunotherapeutic biomarkers, suggesting that its expression influences the tumor immune microenvironment. By employing single-cell and spatial transcriptome data through platforms such as SingleCellBase, CancerSEA, and CROST, we further uncovered the heterogeneity of DSCC1 across various cancer types. Finally, we validated the significant upregulation of DSCC1 mRNA in multiple tumor cell lines using q-RTPCR, and demonstrated through CCK8 assays that silencing DSCC1 expression effectively suppressed cell proliferation. Our findings establish a foundational understanding of DSCC1's potential as a biomarker for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and immunotherapy.