BACKGROUND

Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may serve as potential biomarkers of cancers including breast cancer (BRCA). This study aimed to identify lncRNAs with strong prognostic value for BRCA.

METHODS

LncRNA expression profiles of 929 tissue samples were downloaded from TANRIC database. We performed differential expression analysis between paired BRCA and adjacent normal tissues. Survival analysis was used to identify lncRNAs with prognostic value. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to confirm the independent prognostic value of potential lncRNAs. Dysregulated signaling pathways associated with lncRNA expression were evaluated using gene set enrichment analysis.

RESULTS

We found that a total of 398 lncRNAs were significantly differentially expressed between BRCA and adjacent normal tissues (adjusted value <= 0.0001 and |logFC| >= 1). Additionally, 381 potential lncRNAs were correlated Overall Survival (OS) ( value < 0.05). A total of 48 lncRNAs remained when differentially expressed lncRNAs overlapped with lncRNAs that had prognostic value. Among the 48 lncRNAs, one lncRNA (LINC01614) had stronger prognostic value and was highly expressed in BRCA tissues. LINC01614 expression was validated as an independent prognostic factor using univariate and multivariate analyses. Higher LINC01614 expression was observed in several molecular subgroups including estrogen receptors+, progesterone receptors+ and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ subgroup, respectively. Also, BRCA carrying one of four gene mutations had higher expression of LINC01614 including AOAH, CIT, HER2 and ODZ1. Higher expression of LINC01614 was positively correlated with several gene sets including TGF-β1 response, CDH1 signals and cell adhesion pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

A novel lncRNA LINC01614 was identified as a potential biomarker for prognosis prediction of BRCA. This study emphasized the importance of LINC01614 and further research should be focused on it.