ENO1 as a Biomarker of Breast Cancer Progression and Metastasis: A Bioinformatic Approach Using Available Databases

Metabolic reprogramming is one of the hallmarks of cancer, and in breast cancer (BC), several metabolic enzymes are overexpressed and overactivated. One of these, Enolase 1 (ENO1), catalyses glycolysis and is involved in the regulation of multiple signalling pathways.

This study aimed to evaluate in silico the prognostic and predictive effects of ENO1 expression in BC.

This is a bioinformatic in silico analysis.

Using available online platforms (Kaplan-Meier [KM] plotter, receiver operating characteristic curve [ROC] plotter, cBioPortal, Genotype-2-Outcome [G-2-O], MethSurv, and Tumour-Immune System Interaction Database [TISIDB]), we performed a bioinformatic in silico analysis to establish the prognostic and predictive effects related to ENO1 expression in BC. A network analysis was performed using the Oncomine platform, and signalling, epigenetic, and immune regulation pathways were explored.

ENO1 was overexpressed in all the analysed Oncomine, epigenetic, and immune pathways in triple-negative, but not in hormone receptor-positive BCs. In human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive BCs, ENO1 expression showed a mixed profile. Analysis on disease progression and histological types showed ENO1 overexpression in ductal in situ and invasive carcinoma, in high-grade tumours followed by advanced or metastasis and was linked to worse survival. High ENO1 expression was also associated with relapse-free, distant metastasis-free and overall survival, irrespectively of treatment and was mainly related to basal subtype.

ENO1 overexpression recruits a range of signalling pathways during disease progression conferring a worse prognosis and can be potentially used as a biomarker of disease progression and therapeutic target, particularly in triple-negative and in ductal invasive carcinoma.