Abstract
Transcriptional Co-Activator with PDZ-Binding Motif (TAZ, also known as WWTR1) is a downstream effector of the Hippo pathway, involved in the regulation of organ regeneration and cell differentiation in processes such as development and regeneration. TAZ has been shown to play a tumor-promoting role in various cancers. Currently, many studies focus on the role of TAZ in the process of mitophagy. However, the molecular mechanism and biological function of TAZ in renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) are still unclear. Therefore, we systematically analyzed the mRNA expression profile and clinical data of KIRC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. We found that TAZ expression was significantly upregulated in KIRC compared with normal kidney tissue and was closely associated with poor prognosis of patients. Combined with the joint analysis of 36 mitophagy genes, it was found that TAZ was significantly negatively correlated with the positive regulators of mitophagy. Finally, our results confirmed that high expression of TAZ in KIRC inhibits mitophagy and promotes KIRC cell proliferation. In conclusion, our findings reveal the important role of TAZ in KIRC and have the potential to be a new target for KIRC therapy.