Lichuan Wu et al., at Medical College of Guangxi University, China, presented a comprehensive study on the role of replication factor C subunit 4 (RFC4) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a type of epithelial cancer commonly associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. The research was conducted with the aim of understanding the pathogenesis of NPC and identifying potential therapeutic targets.
NPC is a prevalent cancer in East and Southeast Asia, with over 133,000 new cases diagnosed in 2020 according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The main treatments for NPC include radiation therapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and immune therapy. Despite improvements in the five-year overall survival rate, persistent and recurrent diseases are still a concern.
The replication factor C (RFC) family proteins, including RFC4, are integral to DNA replication and repair processes. The study hypothesizes that RFC4 may have a significant role in NPC, a hypothesis that has not been explored in-depth previously. The research utilized a multi-faceted approach involving bioinformatics analysis, cell culture, transfection assays, plate cloning formation assays, cell cycle detection, RNA extraction and real-time qPCR, RNA sequencing, western blot, and a nude mouse xenograft model.
The study also included statistical analysis to measure the correlation between RFC4 and other genes, and to compare different experimental groups. The study identified RFC4 as a potential key .