miR-103 regulates triple negative breast cancer cells migration and invasion through targeting olfactomedin 4

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics

Background:

• Olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4) previously demonstrated suppression of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell migration, invasion, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP 9) expression.
• MicroRNA-103 (miR-103) was computationally identified as a potential regulator of OLFM4.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the regulatory relationship between miR-103 and OLFM4.
• To investigate the functional role of miR-103 in TNBC cell behavior.
• To determine the clinical significance of miR-103 in TNBC patients.

Main Methods:

• Dual-luciferase reporter assays to confirm direct targeting of OLFM4 by miR-103.
• Cell migration and invasion assays in TNBC cell lines.
• Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting to assess OLFM4 and miR-103 expression.
• Retrospective analysis of TNBC patient tissues and clinical data.

Main Results:

• miR-103 directly targets the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of OLFM4, leading to its downregulation.
• miR-103 promotes TNBC cell migration and invasion, partly through the regulation of OLFM4 and MMP 9 expression.
• Overexpression of miR-103 was detected in TNBC tissues and cell lines.
• miR-103 overexpression correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and advanced clinical stage in TNBC patients.

Conclusions:

• miR-103 functions as an oncogenic microRNA in triple-negative breast cancer.
• miR-103 promotes TNBC cell migration and invasion by targeting OLFM4.
• miR-103 overexpression serves as a potential independent prognostic biomarker for poor outcomes in TNBC patients.