Oxidative Stress Gene Signature Flags Prostate Cancer Recurrence Risk

A new study published in BMC Urology reports a computational model, built from oxidative stress-related genes, that predicts this recurrence and singles out one gene, LAMP5, as a candidate prognostic biomarker.

The research team, led by Peiqiang Wu, Jianlei Zhang and colleagues, drew on RNA sequencing data from 495 prostate cancer samples and 151 normal prostate tissues obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. By comparing tumor and normal tissue, they identified differentially expressed genes between the two groups. They then layered on single-cell RNA sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus, analyzed with the R package Seurat to identify cell types, and used oxidative stress response-related genes together with the AUCell package to pinpoint oxidative stress-active cell subgroups and their marker genes.

The intersection of the differentially expressed genes and the oxidative stress-active subgroup markers formed the raw material for a Biochemical Recurrence Risk Score model, constructed through LASSO regression analysis. According to the authors, this model demonstrated reliable and stable predictive value for biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients. Their analysis also suggested potential differences in the composition of tumor-infiltrating immune cells between patients classified as high-risk and low-risk by the score, and the team performed immune checkpoint gene correlation analysis as part of the search for target genes.

Among the model’s components, LAMP5 emerged as a critical predictor of biochemical recurrence. To probe its biological role, the researchers carried out in vitro experiments in which they knocked the gene down using siRNA in two prostate cancer cell lines, PC3 and DU145. Knockdown markedly decreased the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of both cell lines, linking the gene not merely to recurrence prediction but to behaviors associated with cancer progression in these laboratory models.

The authors conclude that the risk score model, built on oxidative stress-related biomarkers, exhibits robust predictive value, and that LAMP5 is a candidate prognostic biomarker whose knockdown was associated with reduced proliferative, migratory and invasive behavior in the tested cell lines. The findings are framed as preliminary validation of the genes’ roles in prostate cancer progression rather than as clinical proof. The predictive model was developed and evaluated on retrospective database data, and the functional evidence comes from cell culture experiments, so the results will require further validation in patient cohorts and additional experimental systems before any clinical use. The article was published open access on 17 October 2026 and is being shared early as a peer-reviewed, accepted version that remains subject to further edits before the final version of record.

Subject of Research: An oxidative stress-related gene signature predicting biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer and identifying LAMP5 as a candidate prognostic biomarker.

Article Title: Oxidative stress-related signature predicts biochemical recurrence and identifies LAMP5 as a candidate prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer

Article References: Wu, P., Zhang, J., Guo, L., Chen, B., Xiong, L., Du, Y., & Li, X. (2026). Oxidative stress-related signature predicts biochemical recurrence and identifies LAMP5 as a candidate prognostic biomarker in prostate cancer. BMC Urology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-026-02411-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12894-026-02411-y

Keywords: prostate cancer, biochemical recurrence, oxidative stress, LAMP5, risk prediction model, LASSO regression, TCGA, single-cell RNA sequencing, biomarker, siRNA knockdown, PC3, DU145