Multiple new subtypes of breast cancer (BRCA) are identified in women each year, rendering BRCA the most common and rapidly expanding form of cancer in females globally. NUF2 has been identified as a prognostic factor in various human cancers, regulating cell apoptosis and proliferation. However, its role in BRCA prognosis has not been clarified. This study explored the role of NUF2 in breast cancer development and prognosis using informatic analysis combined with in vivo intracellular studies. Through the online website TIMER, we evaluated the transcription profile of NUF2 across a variety of different cancer types and found that NUF2 mRNA was highly expressed in BRCA patients. Its transcription level was found to be related to the subtype, pathological stage, and prognosis of BRCA. The R program analysis showed a correlation of NUF2 with cell proliferation and tumor stemness in the BRCA patient samples. Subsequently, the association between the NUF2 expression level and immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the XIANTAO and TIMER tools. The results revealed that NUF2 expression was correlated with the responses of multiple immune cells. Furthermore, we observed the effect of NUF2 expression on tumor stemness in BRCA cell lines in vivo. The experimental results illuminated that the overexpression of NUF2 statistically upregulated the proliferation and tumor stemness ability of the BRCA cell lines MCF-7 and Hs-578T. Meanwhile, the knockdown of NUF2 inhibited the abilities of both cell lines, a finding which was verified by analyzing the subcutaneous tumorigenic ability in nude mice. In summary, this study suggests that NUF2 may play a key role in the development and progression of BRCA by affecting tumor stemness. As a stemness indicator, it has the potential to be one of the markers for the diagnosis of BRCA.

Background: SUV39H2, a histone methyltransferase involved in H3K9 trimethylation and transcriptional silencing, has been implicated in cancer progression. However, its expression patterns, clinical relevance, and functional roles in various tumor types remain to be fully elucidated. Methods: SUV39H2 expression in multiple cancers and paired adjacent normal tissues was analyzed using the TCGA-GTEX database and Xiantao online tools. Prognostic significance was assessed by survival analysis. KEGG and GO enrichment analyses were conducted to explore potential functional roles. Immune infiltration correlations were evaluated based on TCGA data. Single-cell RNA sequencing from GSE176078 was analyzed for validation of expression patterns. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on five pairs of TNBC patient samples to confirm SUV39H2 expression. Western blotting (WB) was conducted to verify SUV39H2 knockdown efficiency in MDA-MB-231 and Hs-578T TNBC cells. Functional assays, including Transwell migration, colony formation, sphere formation, and subcutaneous xenograft tumorigenicity assays, were performed to evaluate the effects of SUV39H2 knockdown on TNBC cell growth and metastatic potential. Results: SUV39H2 was significantly overexpressed in multiple cancers, with consistently elevated levels in paired tumor-adjacent tissues. In TNBC, SUV39H2 expression was markedly upregulated across all clinical and TNM stages compared with normal tissues and other BRCA subtypes. Immunohistochemistry confirmed SUV39H2 overexpression in TNBC patient samples, and WB demonstrated successful knockdown in MDA-MB-231 and Hs-578T cells. Functional assays revealed that SUV39H2 knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation, migration, stemness, and in vivo tumorigenicity in TNBC cells. Conclusions: SUV39H2 is consistently upregulated in triple-negative breast cancer and is associated with malignant features including enhanced proliferation, migration, stemness, and in vivo tumorigenicity. Functional and clinical evidence highlights SUV39H2 as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in TNBC, although its clinical utility requires further validation.

Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is associated with the occurrence and progressive development of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Usually, microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the regulations on the targeting genes of carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism of HBx-induced miRNAs in the process of HCC is still undisclosed. This work took an initial step on discovering the relationship between HBx and recent reported miRNAs. Among these miRNAs, decreased regulation of miR-187-5p by HBx was observed in HCC cell lines. For a clearer understanding the mechanism of miRNA-mediated influence by HBx, bioinformatics analysis systematically investigated the upstream and downstream regulatory factors of miR-187-5p, and a potential regulatory model was therefore proposed. This work uncovers the facts of HBx regulation on miR-187-5p, as well as implies a potential function of HBx in mediating the interactions between miRNAs and regulatory components that contributes to the development of HBV-induced HCC.

Numerous new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed among women each year, rendering breast cancer the most common and rapidly expanding form of cancer in females globally. NDUFAF6 encodes a protein that localizes to mitochondria and contains a predicted phytoene synthase domain. Mutations in NDUFAF6 are associated with complex I enzymatic deficiency. This study explored the role of NDUFAF6 in breast cancer development and prognosis using informatic analysis. Through the online website TIMER, we evaluated the transcription profile of NDUFAF6 across pan-cancer and breast cancer respectively. We investigated that NDUFAF6 mRNA was overexpressed in breast cancer and other 18 cancers. NDUFAF6 expression also related to the subtype, pathological stage and prognosis of breast cancer. The GSEA showed NDUFAF6 correlated with cell cycle and tumor cell adhesion molecules. NDUFAF6 expression may associate with the proliferation and migration ability of breast cancer cells. Subsequently, the association between the NDUFAF6 expression level and immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the XIANTAO and TIMER tools. The results revealed a negative correlation between NDUFAF6 and most immune infiltrating cells. This study indicated that NDUFAF6 may role in the progression of breast cancer and potentially been one of the markers for diagnosis.