Integrated Transcriptome and Pathway Analyses Revealed Multiple Activated Pathways in Breast Cancer.

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality in women globally.
• Understanding BC molecular mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted therapies and biomarkers.
• Limited transcriptomic data exists for breast cancer patients in the Gulf region.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the molecular landscape of breast cancer in the Gulf region.
• To identify altered molecular networks and signaling pathways in Gulf region BC.
• To compare findings with existing global breast cancer cohorts.

Main Methods:

• RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to compare tumor and adjacent normal breast tissue from six patients.
• Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for gene expression validation.
• Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to identify affected signaling pathways.

Main Results:

• Identified 1,108 upregulated and 518 downregulated transcripts in breast cancer tissue.
• Prominent activation of ERBB2, FOXM1, ESR1, and IGFBP2 signaling pathways.
• Enrichment of genes involved in cell proliferation, migration, survival, DNA repair, and immune cell activity.
• High concordance observed with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) breast cancer cohort.

Conclusions:

• Provides novel insights into breast cancer biology specific to the Gulf region.
• Highlights common altered molecular networks across different geographic populations.
• Suggests potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer in this region.