A Crucial Angiogenesis-Associated Gene MEOX2 Could Be a Promising Biomarker Candidate for Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the growth and metastasis of breast cancer and angiogenesis inhibition has become an effective strategy for cancer therapy. Our study aimed to clarify the key candidate genes and pathways related to breast cancer angiogenesis. METHODS: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the raw breast cancer (BRCA) gene dataset from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were identified and gene ontology analysis of the DEGs was performed. Hub genes were subsequently determined using the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The expression of the mesenchyme homeobox 2 (MEOX2) in breast cancer cells and tissues was assessed by quantification real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. The prognostic value of the MEOX2 gene in breast cancer tissue was evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier plotter. RESULTS: A total of 61 angiogenesis-related DEGs were identified in the TCGA dataset, among which the gene MEOX2 was significantly down-regulated. GO functional annotation and pathway enrichment analyses showed that MEOX2 was significantly enriched in the regulation of vasculature development. The IHC results confirmed that MEOX2 expression was repressed in breast cancer tissues and the relatively low level indicated the tissue was densely vascularized. Moreover, MEOX2 expression was significantly elevated in breast cancer cells after treatment with cisplatin (DDP) and epirubicin (EPI). Finally, the Kaplan-Meier plotter confirmed that higher expression levels of MEOX2 were related to better overall survival. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the angiogenesis-associated gene MEOX2 can be used as a novel biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and clinical therapy.