The weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) for potential target genes of 3 good prognosis-related DEmiRNAs (miR-135b-5p, miR-9-3p, miR-135b-3p) identified 4 hub genes with highly positive correlation with TNBC subtype: FOXC1, BCL11A, FAM171A1 and RGMA.
Xenograft models showed that the lung extravasation and metastasis of FOXC1-overexpressing TNBC cells were attenuated by knocking out WNT5A, but could be restored by MMP7 overexpression.
IHC for androgen receptor [AR], claudin-3, E-cadherin, cytokeratin 5/6 [CK5/6], epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR], indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 [IDO1], and Forkhead box C1 [FOXC1] were performed using the tissue microarray constructed from 200 TNBC samples.
In this report, we show that ST8SIA1 is highly expressed in primary TNBC; its expression is positively correlated with the expression of several BCSC-associated genes such as BCL11A, FOXC1, CXCR4, PDGFRβ, SOX2, and mutations in p53.