Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2025
Fluorescence-based Monitoring of PAD4 Activity via a Pro-fluorescence Substrate Analog
Published on: November 5, 2014
Pan-cancer analysis identifies the immunological and prognostic role of PAK4
Lina Tang1, Yunling Gao2, Tingting Li2
1Advanced Medical Research Center of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450007, China.
Aims:
P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) belongs to the wider family of Serine/Threonine p21-activated kinases (PAKs) and functions as a hub for signaling pathways in cancer progression. Numerous studies have indicated the significance of PAK4 for tumorigenesis, but no systematic pan-cancer analysis has been performed.
Main Methods:
The current study aimed to investigate the prognostic and immunological functions of PAK4 through bioinformatic analysis of datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas, UALCAN, GEPIA2, cBioPortal, TIMER2, and Human Protein Atlas. PAK4 expression was correlated with prognosis, DNA methylation, tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and immune cell infiltration.
Key Findings:
PAK4 was highly expressed in various cancers but showed decreased expression in colon adenocarcinoma, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, and thyroid carcinoma. PAK4 was found to have a positive or negative correlation with prognosis of different cancers. PAK4 expression was related to tumor mutational burden in 11 tumor types, and associated with microsatellite instability in 10 tumor types and was correlated with immune infiltration and immune checkpoint genes.
Significance:
PAK4 could be considered as a prognostic and immunotherapeutic marker for some types of malignant tumor.
Insights
P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a key signaling hub in cancer. This study reveals PAK4 as a potential prognostic and immunotherapeutic marker across various cancers, highlighting its role in tumor progression and immune response.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a Serine/Threonine kinase involved in cancer progression.
- PAK4 acts as a central signaling hub, but its pan-cancer prognostic and immunological roles are not systematically analyzed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of PAK4's prognostic and immunological significance in pan-cancer.
- To evaluate PAK4 expression, its correlation with clinical outcomes, and its association with tumor microenvironment features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and multiple bioinformatic tools (UALCAN, GEPIA2, cBioPortal, TIMER2, Human Protein Atlas).
- Analyzed PAK4 expression patterns, prognostic correlations, DNA methylation, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and immune cell infiltration.
Main Results:
- PAK4 exhibited differential expression across numerous cancer types, with notable down-regulation in specific renal and thyroid carcinomas.
- PAK4 expression correlated with patient prognosis (positively or negatively) across various cancers.
- PAK4 showed significant associations with TMB in 11 tumor types, MSI in 10 tumor types, and immune infiltration, including immune checkpoint genes.
Conclusions:
- PAK4 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker in several malignant tumors.
- PAK4's association with immune infiltration suggests its utility as an immunotherapeutic target or marker.
More Related Videos
08:30Immunophenotyping of Orthotopic Homograft Syngeneic of Murine Primary KPC Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Flow Cytometry
Published on: October 9, 2018
07:47Author Spotlight: Unveiling Transmembrane Protein Family-Related Markers in Gastric Cancer and Implications for Targeted Therapies
Published on: September 15, 2023
