miR-6844 Regulates Cell Functions and Acts as a Potential Biomarker to Predict Prognosis in Breast Cancer

MicroRNAs can epigenetically regulate numerous cancer-related genes and are recognized as key players in cancer biology. To explore the intrinsic mechanisms by which miR-6844 regulates the functions of BC cells and assess its potential as a prognostic biomarker for BC clinical outcomes.

A total of 130 BC patients were enrolled as the research subjects. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect miR-6844 levels in cancer tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was employed to analyze the 5-year survival status of BC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the influencing factors for mortality in BC patients. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were utilized to measure the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.

miR-6844 is markedly upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. The expression of miR-6844 is closely correlated with the TNM stage and lymph node metastasis in BC patients. Elevated levels of miR-6844 are correlated with diminished overall survival rates. Functional investigations reveal that miR-6844 enhances BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while exerting a negative regulatory effect on the expression of the Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP). Conversely, silencing miR-6844 markedly inhibits the progression of BC cells, an effect that can be counteracted by concurrent inhibition of MTAP expression.

miR-6844 exhibits elevated expression levels in BC and is correlated with adverse prognostic outcomes. This microRNA promotes BC progression by targeting and negatively regulating MTAP.