The Prognostic Value and Biological Functions of HFM1 in Breast Cancer

Abstract

Aim: HFM1 has been reported to be associated with meiosis and ovarian insufficiency, but its role in tumors remains unknown. This study aims to explore the functions and potential mechanism of HFM1 in breast cancer. Methods: Several databases, protein–protein interactions, gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used for bioinformatic analysis. Tissue microarrays and cell viability assays were used to detect the expression of HFM1 and tamoxifen resistance, respectively. Results:HFM1 was downregulated in breast cancer with poor prognosis and may modulate DNA damage repair pathways and immune infiltration. Moreover, HFM1 may mediate ovarian steroidogenesis and participate in tamoxifen resistance of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Conclusion: We presented a first study on biological functions and potential mechanisms of HFM1 in cancers.

Plain language summary

The role and function of the protein HFM1 in tumors remains unknown. We explored the functions and potential mechanism of HFM1 in breast cancer through several known databases, clinical samples and cell experiments. We found that HFM1 was downregulated in breast cancer with a poor prognosis. HFM1 may mediate ovarian steroidogenesis and participate in tamoxifen resistance of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Here we first put forward the relationship between HFM1 and the prognosis of breast cancer, and provided relevant clues for mechanism exploration.

Keywords::

• bioinformatics analysis
• HFM1
• human breast cancer
• metabolism
• tamoxifen resistance

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2023-0041

Y Ying and D Li designed the research. Y Ying, Y Meng, L Bian and M Zhang undertook the initial research. Y Ying, Y Meng, L Bian, M Zhang, P Zhou, S Zhang, W Wang, Y Yao and Q Ren analyzed data. Y Ying, D Li, Y Yao and Q Ren prepared the manuscript. All authors contributed to the final version.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant no. 81970094; the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning under grant no. TP2015022; and Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai under grant no. 2018-ZJ-942Q. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai JiaoTong University, School of Medicine.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant no. 81970094; the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning under grant no. TP2015022; and Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai under grant no. 2018-ZJ-942Q. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.