Probing into the Network of Transcription Factor Twist-Related Protein 1 (TWIST1) in Breast Cancer Metastasis

The transcription factor twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1) plays a major role in the prognosis of breast cancer. Our present study aimed to identify the network of TWIST1 with related oncogenes and their associated miRNAs. This in silico study included the differential expression analysis of genes and miRNA associated with breast carcinoma. The breast cancer patients’ data were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and the differential expression analysis was done using GEO2R. Transfac analysis was performed to determine the binding sites of TWIST1. We predicted the target genes of MicroRNA-96 (miR-96) using miRBase. An integrated network was generated among TWIST1 and target genes of miR-96 through Gene MANIA. Survival analysis was carried out for TWIST1 using UALCAN. Experimental methods, including gene expression analysis, were performed in the MDA-MB-231 cell line for validating in silico findings. miR-96, the second differentially expressed miRNA among the top 250 miRNAs, was found to have eight binding sites for TWIST1. TWIST1 was observed to be significantly correlated with patient prognosis. ACTN4, BCL2, and FRMD4A were upregulated and CAMTA1, DAB2IP, and E- Cadherin were downregulated in the expression studies carried out in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. A network between TWIST1 and target genes of miR-96 was analyzed. Hence, targeting the genes linked with miR-96 could work toward an efficient therapeutic option for breast cancer metastasis.