Molecular insight into the expression level of an immunosuppression gene, VTCN1, and its regulatory factors in breast cancer patients and non-cancerous samples with a higher level of IgE

Abstract IgE levels increase in some cancer types due to treatment methods also autoimmune diseases can emerge and lead to worsening of the cancer. Finding a factor based on the reduction in IgE levels found in cancer can act as a determinant in providing the early diagnosis of the disease in individuals with high IgE levels in their blood. Accordingly, in the present study, the effort was made to select a gene associated with breast cancer and high IgE levels through available databases to evaluate the gene expression and the associated lncRNA and polymorphism at the binding site of a miRNA with a gene. In this study, the expression of the VTCN1 gene and the associated lncRNA called NORAD (Non-Coding RNA Activated by DNA Damage), selected through bioinformatics methods and relevant databases were assessed in breast cancer tissue samples along with the blood samples of individuals with high IgE levels, employing the real-time PCR method. Lastly, NORAD’s protein interactions and the relevant signaling pathways were further investigated via bioinformatics tools. The results indicated that the expression of VTCN1 genes increased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas NORAD increased insignificantly (P > 0.05) in both breast cancer and high IgE level samples. The prevalence of GG genotype in polymorphism rs10754339 was similarly high in both categories of samples. Bioinformatic analyses also demonstrated NORAD's association with proteins involved in immunity pathways. This study suggests the VTCN1 and NORAD genes as convenient markers for monitoring breast cancer in people with high IgE levels, as well as employing them in the research regarding the autoimmune diseases in individuals with a breast cancer diagnosis.