Study of NALT1 and CTBP1-AS1 lncRNAs expression levels in triple-negative breast cancer patients in the Iranian population

Background

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis, is notably difficult to treat. Emerging research highlights the significant roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer biology. LncRNAs, such as NALT1 and CTBP1-AS1 are implicated in oncogenic processes; this study hypothesizes that NALT1 and CTBP1-AS1 are overexpressed in TNBC tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues and may serve as biomarkers. Methods: One hundred pairs of tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues were obtained from female patients with triple-negative breast cancer. After extracting RNA, cDNA synthesis was carried out for all samples. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to assess differential gene expression. Results: The expression of NALT1 (p-value <0.0001) and CTBP1-AS1 (p-value <0.0002) lncRNAs increased in TNBC tumor tissues in comparison to adjacent non-tumor tissues. A statistically positive correlation (ρ = 0.5844, p < 0.0001) was observed between the expression levels of NALT1 and CTBP1-AS1 in breast cancer patients. The ROC analysis indicated that NALT1 (AUC = 0.718, specificity = 61 %, sensitivity = 70 %) shows moderate potential and CTBP1-AS1 (AUC = 0.648, specificity = 65 %, sensitivity = 55 %) exhibits poor potential as a diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer. Conclusion: This study shows that NALT1 and CTBP1-AS1 lncRNAs are upregulated in TNBC tissues. Additionally, a positive correlation exists between their expression levels in breast cancer. Further research is needed to understand their mechanisms as molecular biomarkers.