PCMT1 has Potential Prognostic Value and Promotes Cell Growth and Motility in Breast Cancer

Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is one of the frequently diagnosed cancers, and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. The roles of protein L-isoaspartate (D-aspartate) O-methyltransferase (PCMT1) in human cancer have been exploring, but the clinical significance and biological function of PCMT1 in BC are not yet clear. In this study, based on the TCGA-BRCA data set, the results showed that high expression of PCMT1 gene was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS), disease specific survival (DSS) and progress free suvival (PFS) of BC patients. Utilizing the immunohistochemical assay, we found that PCMT1 protein was located in the cytoplasm of BC cells, and PCMT1 expression was only obviously correlated with progesterone receptor expression of patients (p < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that PCMT1 protein high-expression was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for BC patients. The in vitro experiments revealed that PCMT1 could regulate growth, migration and invasion capacity of MCF-7 cell, and modulate the expression of AKT/GSK3β/mTOR signaling pathway, EMT and cell cycle-associated protein. In conclusion, PCMT1 was a potential unfavorable prognostic biomarker for BC patient and might influence the AKT/GSK3β/mTOR signaling pathway to regulate the growth and motility of MCF-7 cell.