Expression profiling and prognostic value of DNAJC12 and DNAJA4 genes in Breast Cancer

• Grant number: 22/00341-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Aparecida Nagai
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Fernandes Gatti
• Host Institution: Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira (ICESP). Coordenadoria de Serviços de Saúde (CSS). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy in women worldwide. BC is a highly heterogeneous disease, with multiple tumor subtypes, which present distinct morphology and molecular characteristics with implications on the clinical course of the disease. Despite advances in the molecular classification of breast cancer, there is still a need to identify new biomarkers for prognosis and prediction of patient response to different therapeutic strategies. The present study is based on the use of computational tools to investigate the expression profile and potential prognostic value of the DNAJC12 and DNAJA4 genes from the molecular chaperone family DnaJ or Hsp40 and its subsequent validation through the analysis with immunohistochemistry. The in silico data mining will be performed by collecting data on the expression levels of DNAJC12 and DNAJA4 in normal and tumor tissues, of different molecular subtypes and clinical stages, using the UALCAN tool. Data on survival, recurrence, and response to various treatments in groups of patients separated according to the expression rates (high or low) of these genes will be evaluated by the KM-Plotter and ROC-Plotter tools. We will perform quantitative immunohistochemical analysis for DNAJC12 protein on tissue microarrays (TMAs) containing primary breast tumors using the QuPath for digital pathology software. Protein expression data will be correlated with demographic, clinicopathological, and patient survival variables in order to assess the prognostic value of DNAJC12 expression in breast tumors. (AU)