A DAAM1 3′-UTR SNP mutation regulates breast cancer metastasis through affecting miR-208a-5p-DAAM1-RhoA axis

BACKGROUND: Dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1) is a member of microfilament-related formins and mediates cell motility in breast cancer (BrCa). However, the genetic mutation status of DAAM1 mRNA and its correlation with pathological characteristics are still unclearly. Methods: A patient cohort and BrCa cells were recruited to demonstrate the role of functional SNP in microRNA-208a-5p binding site of DAAM1 3′-UTR and underlying mechanism in BrCa metastasis. METHODS: A patient cohort and BrCa cells were recruited to demonstrate the role of functional SNP in microRNA-208a-5p binding site of DAAM1 3′-UTR and underlying mechanism in BrCa metastasis. RESULTS: The expression and activation of DAAM1 increased markedly in lymphnode metastatic tissues. A genetic variant (rs79036859 A/G) was validated in the miR-208a-5p binding site of DAAM1 3′-UTR. The G genotype (AG/GG) was a risk genotype for the metastasis of BrCa by reducing binding affinity of miR-208a-5p for the DAAM1 3′-UTR. Furthermore, the miR-208a-5p expression level was significantly suppressed in lymphnode metastatic tissues compared with that in non-lymphnode metastatic tissues. Overexpression of miR-208a-5p inhibited DAAM1/RhoA signaling pathway, thereby leading to the decrease of the migratory ability. CONCLUSION: Overall, the rs79036859 G variant of DAAM1 3′-UTR was identified as a relevant role in BrCa metastasis via the diversity of miR-208a-5p binding affinity. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-019-0747-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.