The Relationship of Ribosomal Protein L10 (RPL10) and L41 (RPL41) with Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes

Abstract

Breast cancer represents the most prevalent cancer type among women globally. Accurate molecular subtyping of breast cancer plays a vital role in determining optimal treatment strategies. Therefore, the main objective of this observational study is to investigate the correlation between breast cancer and its molecular subtypes with ribosomal proteins L10 and L41 at the level of gene expression. A total of 58 cancer patient samples, along with 16 healthy controls, were utilized. The samples were classified into molecular subtypes based on immunohistochemistry analysis. Tissue samples were subjected to RT-qPCR analysis for measurement the gene expression levels of RPL10 and RPL41. The findings revealed no significant differences in RPL10 gene expression across molecular subgroups of breast cancer. However, a significant decrease in RPL41 gene expression by 0.253-fold (p< 0.05) in the HER2-rich subtype and 0.257-fold (p< 0.05) in the TNBC subtype was observed compared to the control group. Additionally, RPL41 gene expression was significantly downregulated by 0.37-fold (p< 0.05) in the whole breast cancer group. In conclusion, the study results indicate a significant downregulation of RPL41 gene expression in the HER2-rich and triple -negative breast cancer (TNBC) breast cancer subtypes, as well as in the overall breast cancer cohort. To better understand the roles of RPL41 and RPL10 in cancer biology, further comprehensive investigations, including functional studies and mechanistic experiments, are needed.