Systematic analysis of UBE2D3 and its association with prognosis, tumor microenvironment, and drug sensitivity in renal clear cell carcinoma

Background: Dysregulated copper metabolism contributes to kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) progression. This study systematically investigated the prognostic and therapeutic implications of copper metabolism-related gene UBE2D3 in KIRC. Methods: Utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-KIRC transcriptomic data and clinical records (n=530), we analyzed differential expression, survival correlation, and clinical significance of copper metabolism-related genes. UBE2D3 was prioritized based on diagnostic/prognostic value. Functional enrichment, immune infiltration [Cell-Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT), Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), Tumor Immune Single-cell Hub 2 (TISCH2)], drug sensitivity (oncoPredict), and molecular docking analyses were performed. UBE2D3 protein expression was validated via immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 9 clinical KIRC specimens. Results: UBE2D3 expression was significantly downregulated in KIRC versus normal tissue and inversely correlated with advanced tumor stage/grade (P