Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Analysis of TRNT1 as a Potential Biomarker for Breast Cancer

TRNT1, an RNA nucleotide transferase, plays a critical role in cellular processes and may be involved in cancer. However, its role in cancer has not been fully explored. This study aims to explore the potential significance of TRNT1 in cancer, particularly in breast cancer (BC) progression and prognosis. A pan-cancer analysis of TRNT1 was conducted using various online bioinformatics tools, including GEPIA2, cBioPortal, TIMER2, Metascape, and UALCAN, combined with experimental validation. The analysis encompassed gene expression, prognosis, genomic alterations, immune infiltration, and functional enrichment. Additionally, in vitro experiments were performed to further investigate TRNT1's role in BC. TRNT1 is highly expressed in most cancers, with significant correlation to prognosis, especially in BC. Promoter methylation and genomic alterations may contribute to its abnormal expression. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis revealed that TRNT1-associated genes are primarily involved in protein processing and RNA metabolism. Our study also represents the first evidence that TRNT1 is overexpressed in BC, participates in tumour proliferation, and may regulate apoptosis through the P53 pathway. This initial pan-cancer study provides a relatively comprehensive understanding of the oncogenic role of TRNT1 across various cancers and highlights its potential as a biomarker for BC.