Expression Profiles of hsa-miR-4715-3p and hsa-miR-5000-3p in Breast Cancer: Findings from Functional and Regulatory Network Analyses.

Abstract

Background/Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the expression profiles of hsa-miR-4715-3p and hsa-miR-5000-3p in breast tumor tissues and to investigate their possible biological and regulatory relationships through integrated bioinformatics analyses. Methods: Tumor and adjacent non-tumor breast tissues were obtained from 38 patients with breast cancer, and the expression levels of hsa-miR-4715-3p and hsa-miR-5000-3p were determined using qRT-PCR. To evaluate the functional characteristics of miRNAs, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed. Additionally, to conduct a more comprehensive evaluation of the regulatory networks associated with both miRNAs, TF-miRNA interactions, target genes, TF functions, and disease associations were examined. Results: hsa-miR-4715-3p was significantly downregulated, whereas hsa-miR-5000-3p was markedly upregulated in tumor tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (both p < 0.001). GO analysis revealed enrichment in metabolic, biosynthetic, and gene regulatory processes, while KEGG analysis highlighted the TGF-beta signaling pathway. TF network analysis identified shared regulatory TFs for both miRNAs, all of which were associated with breast cancer. Conclusions: hsa-miR-4715-3p and hsa-miR-5000-3p showed distinct expression patterns in breast tumor tissues. Their association with signaling and transcriptional networks relevant to breast cancer suggests that these miRNAs may represent underexplored components of breast cancer biology. The findings support further investigation of hsa-miR-4715-3p and hsa-miR-5000-3p; however, validation in independent patient cohorts and functional studies are necessary to establish their biological and potential clinical significance.