# miR-596 as a novel prognostic biomarker and tumor suppressor in breast cancer through targeting EIF5AL1

## TL;DR

miR-596 is a new biomarker for breast cancer prognosis and acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting EIF5AL1.

## Contribution

miR-596 is identified as a novel tumor suppressor and prognostic biomarker in breast cancer through its regulation of EIF5AL1.

## Key findings

- miR-596 is significantly downregulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines.
- miR-596 suppresses cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting EIF5AL1.
- Lower miR-596 expression correlates with worse clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.

## Abstract

In terms of global incidence and mortality, breast cancer continues to surpass all other cancers affecting women.

To explore the role of miR-596, qRT-PCR was applied to measure its expression in tissue and cell samples from 137 enrolled subjects. The regulatory interaction between miR-596 and EIF5AL1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assays. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were utilized to respectively measure the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of the two breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.

A significant downregulation of miR-596 was observed in breast cancer tissues and cell lines (all P < 0.001). Clinically, reduced miR-596 expression was associated with advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and inferior overall survival (P < 0.05). EIF5AL1 was validated as a direct target gene of miR-596, and their expression levels were inversely correlated in clinical samples (r = -0.801, P < 0.001). Reintroduction of miR-596 markedly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells, effects that were largely reversed by overexpressing EIF5AL1 (all P < 0.001).

In breast cancer, miR-596 suppresses malignancy and predicts prognosis by targeting EIF5AL1. Thus, therapeutic modulation of this axis offers novel avenues for treatment and risk assessment.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41065-026-00641-6.