Identification of ATFs in Human Breast Cancer by Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis

Background: To obtain a thorough comprehension of the profile and prognosis of activating transcription factor (ATF) family members in breast cancer.Method: We searched Oncomine, GEPIA, cBioPortal, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and CancerSEA databases to assess expression level, prognostic value, and functions of ATFs in breast cancer. Results: In breast cancer, we found that the expression levels of genes like ATF1, ATF5, and ATF6, were higher than in normal tissues. While the expression levels of ATF3, ATF4, ATF7 were lower in the former than in the latter. Similarly, the ATFs protein expressions were consistent with this in the Human Protein Atlas database. High expressions of ATF2, ATF4, and ATF6-7 were associated with good relapse-free survival. Increased expressions of ATF4 and ATF7 had high overall survival. Conversely, the mRNA expression of ATF1 was negatively correlated with distant metastasis-free survival. Similarly, high expression of ATF2 had reduced post-progression survival. Conclusions: ATF1 was a target of potential therapeutic interest for breast cancer, and ATF4 and ATF6-7 were potential prognostic factors in evaluating breast cancer.