miR-596 as a novel prognostic biomarker and tumor suppressor in breast cancer through targeting EIF5AL1.

BACKGROUND

In terms of global incidence and mortality, breast cancer continues to surpass all other cancers affecting women.

METHODS

To explore the role of miR-596, qRT-PCR was applied to measure its expression in tissue and cell samples from 137 enrolled subjects. The regulatory interaction between miR-596 and EIF5AL1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assays. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were utilized to respectively measure the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of the two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.

RESULTS

A significant downregulation of miR-596 was observed in breast cancer tissues and cell lines (all P < 0.001). Clinically, reduced miR-596 expression was associated with advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and inferior overall survival (P < 0.05). EIF5AL1 was validated as a direct target gene of miR-596, and their expression levels were inversely correlated in clinical samples (r = -0.801, P < 0.001). Reintroduction of miR-596 markedly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells, effects that were largely reversed by overexpressing EIF5AL1 (all P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In breast cancer, miR-596 suppresses malignancy and predicts prognosis by targeting EIF5AL1. Thus, therapeutic modulation of this axis offers novel avenues for treatment and risk assessment.