Amplification of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A/B aids in immune infiltration regulation and breast cancer tumorigenesis

Breast carcinoma ranks among the most prevalent malignant tumors affecting women worldwide. The discovery of biomarkers is important in the diagnosis of breast cancer and the prediction of clinical outcomes in afflicted patients. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (HNRNP)-AB belongs to the extensive HNRNP superfamily; however, its exact role in the progression of breast carcinoma has not yet been fully clarified. The present study drew upon breast cancer sample datasets retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Human Protein Atlas databases to examine the expression patterns and prognosis-associated data of HNRNPAB in clinical specimens. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was employed to validate the efficiency of HNRNPAB knockdown in breast cancer cell lines. Transwell assays and Cell Counting Kit-8 tests further demonstrated alterations in migratory, invasive and proliferative capacities following small interfering RNA-mediated HNRNPAB knockdown. Bioinformatics was utilized to investigate numerous aspects of HNRNPAB in cancerous tissues, including its mRNA expression profile, prognostic value, signaling pathway remodeling, interaction with cancer stem cells and regulatory effects on the tumor immune microenvironment, as well as immunotherapeutic responses. Compared with normal breast tissues, HNRNPAB exhibited elevated expression in breast cancer tissues, upregulation that appeared to be associated with overall survival outcomes, sex characteristics, lymph node metastasis staging and adverse prognostic profiles in patients. Functionally, HNRNPAB depletion was found to suppress the proliferative activity, migratory potential and invasive capabilities of breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, bioinformatics analyses indicated that high HNRNPAB expression was associated with the tumor immune infiltration status in affected individuals. In summary, the present study determined that HNRNPAB exerted a key regulatory effect on the development and progression of breast cancer and therefore its upregulation holds promise as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. In addition, HNRNPAB serves a notable role in cancer immunotherapy, supporting its potential as a novel therapeutic candidate for the early detection and prognostic evaluation of breast cancer.