DJ-1: A Potential Biomarker Related to Prognosis, Chemoresistance, and Expression of Microenvironmental Chemokine in HR-Positive Breast Cancer

Abstract

DJ-1 is significantly elevated in various malignancies. However, the clinical significance of DJ-1 in hormone receptor (HR)-positive (HR+) breast cancer remains unclear. We evaluated DJ-1 expression in different databases and validated in vitro assay by RT-PCR and western blot among HR+ breast cancer. The correlations between DJ-1 level and tumor-immune were calculated. Mutational landscape, enriched signaling pathways, and drug sensitivity analyses were also assessed between DJ-1 high and low-expression groups. DJ-1 was upregulated in HR+ breast cancer, and high DJ-1 expression was significantly linked with poor prognosis. DJ-1 was correlated with the expression and function of different immune cells. The low DJ-1 group showed sensitivity to paclitaxel and docetaxel, while the high-expression group showed sensitivity to doxorubicin. CTLA4 and PD-L1 were more sensitive in high-DJ-1 group. It is involved in a range of pathways and might behave as a novel biomarker of prognostic value for the immune environment and drug sensitivity in HR+ breast cancer.