SNRPD1 confers diagnostic and therapeutic values on breast cancers through cell cycle regulation

BACKGROUND: SNRPD1 is a spliceosome-associated protein and has previously been implicated with important roles in cancer development. METHODS: Through analyzing the differential expression patterns and clinical association of splicing associated genes among tumor and tumor adjacent samples across different tumors and among different breast cancer subtypes, we identify the tumor promotive role of SNRPD1 using multiple publicly available datasets. Through pathway, gene ontology enrichment analysis and network construction, we linked the onco-therapeutic role of SNRPD1 with cell cycle. Via a series of experimental studies including knockdown assay, qPCR, western blotting, cell cycle, drug response assay, we confirmed the higher expression of SNPRD1 at both gene and protein expression levels in triple negative breast cancer cells, as well as its roles in promoting cell cycle and chemotherapy response. RESULTS: Our study revealed that SNRPD1 over-expression was significantly associated with genes involved in cell cycle, cell mitosis and chromatin replication, and silencing SNRPD1 in breast cancer cells could lead to halted tumor cell growth and cell cycle arrest at the G(0)/G(1) stage. We also found that triple negative breast cancer cells with reduced SNRPD1 expression lost certain sensitivity to doxorubicin whereas luminal cancer cells did not. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested the prognostic value of SNRPD1 on breast cancer survival, its potential as the therapeutic target halting cell cycle progression for breast cancer control, and warranted special attention on the combined use of doxorubicin and drugs targeting SNRPD1. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01932-w.