Integrative Multi-Omics and Functional Characterization Reveal MCM4 as a Key Oncogenic Regulator in Hepatocellular...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal malignancy with limited therapeutic options and poor prognosis. Identifying robust prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets is essential for improving patient outcomes. Minichromosome maintenance complex component 4 (MCM4), a DNA replication licensing factor, has been associated various malignancies, yet its involvement in HCC remains underexplored.

We performed integrative bioinformatics analyses on three public HCC datasets (GSE14520, GSE56545, and GSE84402) to identify consistently dysregulated genes. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted using GO, KEGG, and Reactome databases. PPI networks were constructed via STRING. The expression and prognostic value of MCM4 were evaluated using GEPIA, Human Protein Atlas, and KM-Plotter. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics from the HCCDB were analyzed to explore MCM4 localization. Functional roles of MCM4 were validated in vitro using siRNA-mediated knockdown and plasmid-based overexpression in HepG2 and Huh7 cells.

MCM4 was identified as a consistently upregulated gene in HCC and was associated with poor overall, disease-free, recurrence-free, and disease-specific survival. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses revealed MCM4 enrichment in proliferative tumor regions. Functional assays demonstrated that MCM4 promotes HCC cell growth, motility, invasiveness, and enhances EMT and stemness. Conversely, MCM4 knockdown attenuated these malignant phenotypes.

Our study establishes MCM4 as a key regulator of HCC progression and a potential prognostic biomarker. These findings suggest that MCM4 may serve as a potential target and underscore integrative and spatial transcriptomic approaches in cancer biomarker discovery.