Pan-cancer analysis and experimental validation reveal UTP4 as a novel biomarker for gastric cancer

UTP4 is a critical component of ribosome biogenesis, and its dysregulation may contribute to cancer development. However, the role of UTP4 in cancer remains unclear. The present study comprehensively investigated the expression and prognostic significance of UTP4 across multiple cancers, with a particular focus on gastric cancer (GC). Integrated bioinformatics analysis of public datasets, including The Cancer Genome Atlas, revealed that UTP4 is frequently overexpressed in various tumors and associated with poor prognosis. Further analysis uncovered its correlations with genetic mutations, immune infiltration and immune checkpoint expression. Based on these findings and CRISPR-Cas9 screening predictions, the functional role of UTP4 in GC cells was experimentally validated. The results demonstrated that UTP4 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion. These findings highlight UTP4 as a novel pan-cancer biomarker and potential therapeutic target, providing a foundation for further clinical investigations.