Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer

Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in cancer progression, their roles in TNBC remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to develop a prognostic model for TNBC by constructing a...

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Main Authors: Yimin Zhu, Jiayu Wang, Binghe Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-02-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/19063.pdf
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author Yimin Zhu
Jiayu Wang
Binghe Xu
author_facet Yimin Zhu
Jiayu Wang
Binghe Xu
author_sort Yimin Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in cancer progression, their roles in TNBC remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to develop a prognostic model for TNBC by constructing a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. This network integrates circRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for improving clinical outcomes. Methods Differentially expressed circRNAs, lncRNAs, and mRNAs were identified from GEO datasets (144 samples: 94 TNBC and 50 normal tissues). A ceRNA network was constructed, and key genes were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset (115 TNBC and 113 para-cancer tissues). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to develop a prognostic model, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify associated pathways. Results Nine genes (SH3BGRL2, CA12, LRP8, NAV3, GFRA1, DCDC2, CDC7, ABAT, NPTX1) were identified as key factors in the prognostic model, which demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90. Patients classified as high-risk patients exhibited significantly shorter overall survival (median OS: 8.12 years vs. 9.51 years, P < 0.01). The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was identified as a key regulatory pathway, with circRNAs (hsa_circ_0005455, hsa_circ_000632, hsa_circ_0001666, and hsa_circ_0000069) regulating CA12, GFRA1, and NPTX1 expression. Conclusion This study developed a novel prognostic model based on a ceRNA network analysis, highlighting the critical role of circRNAs and the MAPK signaling pathway in TNBC progression. These findings offer valuable insights into potential biomarkers for TNBC prognosis and reveal promising therapeutic targets for improving patient outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-67a67f34a6c2429584a2192e6b0e56772025-08-20T03:05:09ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-02-0113e1906310.7717/peerj.19063Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancerYimin Zhu0Jiayu Wang1Binghe Xu2Medical Oncology Department, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, ChinaNational Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medicao College, Beijing, ChinaNational Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medicao College, Beijing, ChinaBackground Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in cancer progression, their roles in TNBC remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to develop a prognostic model for TNBC by constructing a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. This network integrates circRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for improving clinical outcomes. Methods Differentially expressed circRNAs, lncRNAs, and mRNAs were identified from GEO datasets (144 samples: 94 TNBC and 50 normal tissues). A ceRNA network was constructed, and key genes were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset (115 TNBC and 113 para-cancer tissues). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to develop a prognostic model, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to identify associated pathways. Results Nine genes (SH3BGRL2, CA12, LRP8, NAV3, GFRA1, DCDC2, CDC7, ABAT, NPTX1) were identified as key factors in the prognostic model, which demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90. Patients classified as high-risk patients exhibited significantly shorter overall survival (median OS: 8.12 years vs. 9.51 years, P < 0.01). The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was identified as a key regulatory pathway, with circRNAs (hsa_circ_0005455, hsa_circ_000632, hsa_circ_0001666, and hsa_circ_0000069) regulating CA12, GFRA1, and NPTX1 expression. Conclusion This study developed a novel prognostic model based on a ceRNA network analysis, highlighting the critical role of circRNAs and the MAPK signaling pathway in TNBC progression. These findings offer valuable insights into potential biomarkers for TNBC prognosis and reveal promising therapeutic targets for improving patient outcomes.https://peerj.com/articles/19063.pdfTriple-Negative Breast cancerPrognostic indexceRNA networkNon-coding RNAcircRNAsTCGA
spellingShingle Yimin Zhu
Jiayu Wang
Binghe Xu
Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
PeerJ
Triple-Negative Breast cancer
Prognostic index
ceRNA network
Non-coding RNA
circRNAs
TCGA
title Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
title_full Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
title_fullStr Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
title_full_unstemmed Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
title_short Development of a prognostic model based on the ceRNA network in Triple-Negative Breast cancer
title_sort development of a prognostic model based on the cerna network in triple negative breast cancer
topic Triple-Negative Breast cancer
Prognostic index
ceRNA network
Non-coding RNA
circRNAs
TCGA
url https://peerj.com/articles/19063.pdf
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AT jiayuwang developmentofaprognosticmodelbasedonthecernanetworkintriplenegativebreastcancer
AT binghexu developmentofaprognosticmodelbasedonthecernanetworkintriplenegativebreastcancer