Bioinformatics Identification of TUBB as Potential Prognostic Biomarker for Worse Prognosis in ERα-Positive and Better Prognosis in ERα-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Tubulin β class I gene (TUBB) is highly expressed in various cancers and plays several roles in carcinogenesis. However, the prognostic value of TUBB in breast cancer remains to be investigated. GEPIA and Breast Cancer Gene-Expression Miner were used to explore TUBB expression in breast cancer patients. Kaplan–Meier Plotter was used to assess the relationship between TUBB expression and several prognostic indicators including overall, distant metastasis-free, and relapse-free survival in ERα-positive and ERα-negative breast cancer. The genes that correlate with TUBB in ERα-positive and ERα-negative breast cancer were explored and the pathways were investigated using GSCA. The correlation between TUBB and several gene markers of immune cells was explored using GEPIA. ERα-positive breast cancer patients with increased TUBB showed worse prognosis, possibly through the activation of the TSC/mTOR pathway, whereas ERα-negative breast cancer patients with increased TUBB mRNA showed better prognosis. Significant positive correlations were observed between TUBB and gene markers of immune cells in ERα-positive breast cancer patients, whereas significant negative correlations were observed in ERα-negative breast cancer patients. The analysis revealed that TUBB might be considered as a predictive biomarker for worse prognosis in ERα-positive and better prognosis in ERα-negative breast cancer.