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Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies DHX58 as a Promising Therapeutic Target and Prognostic
Hussam S Aziz1,2, Ayoob Radhi Al-Zaalan1
1Department of Medical Laboratory Technologies, College of Health and Medical Technologies, Southern Technical University, Basrah, Iraq.
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
|June 25, 2026
Summary
The DExH-box helicase 58 (DHX58) gene shows varied expression and prognostic value across cancers. DHX58 may serve as a biomarker, especially for therapies targeting birinapant, warranting further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- DExH-box helicase 58 (DHX58/LGP2) is an innate immune regulator with an emerging role in cancer.
- Its function in oncology remains largely uncharacterized, necessitating comprehensive investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the pan-cancer expression, prognostic significance, and therapeutic potential of the DHX58 gene.
- To explore DHX58's role in various tumor types using extensive bioinformatics analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized TCGA and GTEx data across four platforms (GEPIA2, TIMER 2.0, UALCAN, starBase).
- Assessed differential expression, prognostic value, drug sensitivity, functional enrichment, genomic alterations, protein-protein interactions, and DNA methylation in 32 cancer types.
Main Results:
- DHX58 expression is context-dependent, with downregulation in lung squamous cell carcinoma and upregulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
- Low DHX58 expression correlated with poor survival in kidney chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma, but favorable outcomes in colon adenocarcinoma.
- Low DHX58 expression indicated increased sensitivity to birinapant and saracatinib; genomic alterations were infrequent, and methylation patterns were largely stable.
Conclusions:
- DHX58 exhibits context-specific prognostic and predictive roles across cancers.
- Despite platform discrepancies, DHX58 shows potential as a biomarker, particularly for birinapant-based therapies.
- Further mechanistic and clinical studies are warranted to elucidate DHX58's role.
