Knocking-down of CREPT prohibits the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma and suppresses cyclin D1 and c-Myc expression

An Important Role for RPRD1B in the Heat Shock Response

During the heat shock response (HSR), heat shock factor (HSF1 in mammals) binds to target gene promoters, resulting in increased expression of heat shock proteins that help maintain protein homeostasis and ensure cell survival. Besides HSF1, only a relatively few transcription factors with a specific role in ensuring correctly regulated gene expression during the HSR have been described. Here, we use proteomic and genomic (CRISPR) screening to identify a role for RPRD1B in the response to heat shock. Indeed, cells depleted for RPRD1B are heat shock sensitive and show decreased expression of key heat shock proteins (HSPs). These results add to our understanding of the connection between basic gene expression mechanisms and the HSR.

Knockout of CD147 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and drug resistance of human oral cancer CAL27 cells in Vitro and in Vivo

With the development of modern biomedicine, research on the molecular mechanism of tumors has developed gradually. The CD147 gene has been applied to tumor molecular targeted therapy, and significant differences were found in the expression of the CD147 gene in different tumor tissues and normal tissues. Many previous studies have also shown that the expression of the CD147 gene plays a crucial role in the development of tumors. To understand whether CD147 can be used as a therapeutic target for oral cancer, CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology was used to knock out the CD147 gene in cal27 cells to obtain knockout cell lines. Using CCK-8, Transwell, RT-PCR, and Western blotting, the proliferation and invasion abilities of the knockout cell lines were decreased significantly, and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase was also inhibited. Next, a subcutaneously transplanted tumor model in nude mice was constructed to detect the effect of the CD147 gene on tumors. Subcutaneous tumor growth and immunohistochemistry results showed that the proliferation and doxorubicin resistance of knockout cell line were significantly inhibited compared with those in the wild-type group. These results indicated that knocking out CD147 significantly reduced the proliferation and invasion of cal27 cells, and CD147 may be a potential therapeutic target for oral cancer.

Expression and Clinical Significance of CREPT and CDK4 in Cervical Cancer

The article's abstract is not available.  

CREPT/RPRD1B promotes tumorigenesis through STAT3-driven gene transcription in a p300-dependent manner

BACKGROUND

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been shown to upregulate gene transcription during tumorigenesis. However, how STAT3 initiates transcription remains to be exploited. This study is to reveal the role of CREPT (cell cycle-related and elevated-expression protein in tumours, or RPRD1B) in promoting STAT3 transcriptional activity.

METHODS

BALB/c nude mice, CREPT overexpression or deletion cells were employed for the assay of tumour formation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that CREPT, a recently identified oncoprotein, enhances STAT3 transcriptional activity to promote tumorigenesis. CREPT expression is positively correlated with activation of STAT3 signalling in tumours. Deletion of CREPT led to a decrease, but overexpression of CREPT resulted in an increase, in STAT3-initiated tumour cell proliferation, colony formation and tumour growth. Mechanistically, CREPT interacts with phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) and facilitates p-STAT3 to recruit p300 to occupy at the promoters of STAT3-targeted genes. Therefore, CREPT and STAT3 coordinately facilitate p300-mediated acetylation of histone 3 (H3K18ac and H3K27ac), further augmenting RNA polymerase II recruitment. Accordingly, depletion of p300 abolished CREPT-enhanced STAT3 transcriptional activity.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose that CREPT is a co-activator of STAT3 for recruiting p300. Our study provides an alternative strategy for the therapy of cancers related to STAT3.

Overexpression of cell-cycle related and expression-elevated protein in tumor (CREPT) in malignant cervical cancer

Objective

To explore the expression of cell-cycle related and expression-elevated protein in tumor (CREPT), cyclin D1, and transcription factor 4 (TCF4) in patients with cervical carcinoma.

Methods

This study enrolled 20 patients with cervical cancer and 10 control patients diagnosed with benign cervical lesions undergoing resection at the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2016 to December 2017. Cervical tissues were collected from all patients and their clinical characteristics were recorded. Protein and mRNA levels of CREPT, cyclin D1, and TCF4 were measured in tissue samples by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and compared between the two groups.

Result

Protein and mRNA expression levels of CREPT, cyclin D1, and TCF4 were all significantly higher in the cervical cancer compared with the control group, according to western blot and PCR, respectively. CREPT expression was also significantly higher in the cervical cancer group according to immunohistochemistry.

Conclusion

Levels of CREPT, cyclin D1, and TCF4 were significantly elevated in cervical carcinoma tissues, and their expression levels were positively correlated, suggesting that these factors might play important roles during the development of cervical carcinoma.

Current understanding of CREPT and p15RS, carboxy-terminal domain (CTD)-interacting proteins, in human cancers

CREPT and p15RS, also named RPRD1B and RPRD1A, are RPRD (regulation of nuclear pre-mRNA-domain-containing) proteins containing C-terminal domain (CTD)-interacting domain (CID), which mediates the binding to the CTD of Rpb1, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). CREPT and p15RS are highly conserved, with a common yeast orthologue Rtt103. Intriguingly, human CREPT and p15RS possess opposite functions in the regulation of cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. While p15RS inhibits cell proliferation, CREPT promotes cell cycle and tumor growth. Aberrant expression of both CREPT and p15RS was found in numerous types of cancers. At the molecular level, both CREPT and p15RS were reported to regulate gene transcription by interacting with RNAPII. However, CREPT also exerts a key function in the processes linked to DNA damage repairs. In this review, we summarized the recent studies regarding the biological roles of CREPT and p15RS, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying their activities. Fully revealing the mechanisms of CREPT and p15RS functions will not only provide new insights into understanding gene transcription and maintenance of DNA stability in tumors, but also promote new approach development for tumor diagnosis and therapy.

Role of regulatory miRNAs of the Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway in tumorigenesis of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide. Recently, uncontrolled expression of microRNAs was detected in several human disorders like cardiovascular, neurological, intestinal and autoimmunity diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are now investigated as novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for several solid tumors like breast, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers. Current data suggest that miRNAs are implicated in various oncogenic processes implicated in breast cancer carcinogenesis trough modulating canonical Wnt pathway. Aberrant activation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling was shown to be significantly associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. This review presents recent findings on the molecular mechanism of microRNAs in regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling involved in tumorigenesis of breast cancer.

A cell-permeable peptide-based PROTAC against the oncoprotein CREPT proficiently inhibits pancreatic cancer

Cancers remain a threat to human health due to the lack of effective therapeutic strategies. Great effort has been devoted to the discovery of drug targets to treat cancers, but novel oncoproteins still need to be unveiled for efficient therapy.

Methods: We show that CREPT is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer and is associated with poor disease-free survival. CREPT overexpression promotes but CREPT deletion blocks colony formation and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. To provide a proof of concept for CREPT as a new target for the inhibition of pancreatic cancer, we designed a cell-permeable peptide-based proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC), named PRTC, based on the homodimerized leucine-zipper-like motif in the C-terminus domain of CREPT to induce its degradation in vivo.

Results: PRTC has high affinity for CREPT, with Kd = 0.34 +/- 0.11 μM and is able to permeate into cells because of the attached membrane-transportable peptide RRRRK. PRTC effectively induces CREPT degradation in a proteasome-dependent manner. Intriguingly, PRTC inhibits colony formation, cell proliferation, and motility in pancreatic cancer cells and ultimately impairs xenograft tumor growth, comparable to the effect of CREPT deletion.

Conclusions: PRTC-induced degradation of CREPT leads to inhibition of tumor growth, which is promising for the development of new drugs against pancreatic cancer. In addition, using an interacting motif based on the dimerized structure of proteins may be a new way to design a PROTAC aiming at degrading any protein without known interacting small molecules or peptides.

Intermittent hypoxia exacerbates tumor progression in a mouse model of lung cancer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-related chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) influences lung cancer progression and to elucidate the associated mechanisms in a mouse model of lung cancer. C57/BL6 mice in a CIH group were exposed to intermittent hypoxia for two weeks after tumor induction and compared with control mice (room air). Hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and metastasis-related matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) were measured. The expression levels of several hypoxia-related pathway proteins including HIF-1α, Wnt/ß-catenin, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and mammalian target of rapamycin-ERK were measured by western blot. The number (P < 0.01) and volume (P < 0.05) of tumors were increased in the CIH group. The activity of MMP-2 was enhanced after CIH treatment. The level of VEGF was increased significantly in the CIH group (p < 0.05). ß-catenin and Nrf2 were translocated to the nucleus and the levels of downstream effectors of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling increased after IH exposure. CIH enhanced proliferative and migratory properties of tumors in a mouse model of lung cancer. ß-catenin and Nrf2 appeared to be crucial mediators of tumor growth.

Mouse Tumor-Bearing Models as Preclinical Study Platforms for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Preclinical animal models of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have been extensively studied in recent years. Investigating the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies of OSCC is required to further progress in this field, and a suitable research animal model that reflects the intricacies of cancer biology is crucial. Of the animal models established for the study of cancers, mouse tumor-bearing models are among the most popular and widely deployed for their high fertility, low cost, and molecular and physiological similarity to humans, as well as the ease of rearing experimental mice. Currently, the different methods of establishing OSCC mouse models can be divided into three categories: chemical carcinogen-induced, transplanted and genetically engineered mouse models. Each of these methods has unique advantages and limitations, and the appropriate application of these techniques in OSCC research deserves our attention. Therefore, this review comprehensively investigates and summarizes the tumorigenesis mechanisms, characteristics, establishment methods, and current applications of OSCC mouse models in published papers. The objective of this review is to provide foundations and considerations for choosing suitable model establishment methods to study the relevant pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and clinical treatment of OSCC.

TPX2 silencing exerts anti‑tumor effects on hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the primary causes of cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Current treatment methods include surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; however the curative rate remains low, thus novel treatments are required. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of targeting protein for Xenopus kinesin-like protein 2 (TPX2) in the growth of HCC and its underlying molecular mechanism. Immunohistochemistry staining, reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression of TPX2 mRNA and protein in liver cancer tissue samples, adjacent normal liver tissue samples, and the HCC cell lines Huh7, Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5 and MHCC97-H. The recombinant plasmid pMagic4.1-shRNA-TPX2 was constructed and transfected into Huh7 and Hep3B HCC cells to silence TPX2 expression. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of Huh7 cells and Hep3B cells were evaluated before and after TPX2 silencing. The mRNA and protein expression levels of multiple signaling pathway-associated genes were detected by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The expression levels of TPX2 mRNA and protein were significantly higher in HCC tissue samples compared with adjacent normal liver tissue sample. TPX2 mRNA and protein expression levels were detected in the different HCC cell lines. The recombinant plasmid pMagic4.1-shRNA-TPX2 was successfully transfected into Huh7 and Hep3B cells, resulting in TPX2 silencing. TPX2 knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation, cell migration and cell invasion of Huh7 and Hep3B cells, whilst also increasing the rate of apoptosis in these cells. Following TPX2 silencing, the expression levels of PI3K, phospho-AKT, Bcl-2, c-Myc and Cyclin D1 were significantly decreased, whereas the expression levels of P21 and P27 were significantly increased. In conclusion, TPX2 may suppress the growth of HCC by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and thus, TPX2 may be a potential target for the treatment of liver cancer.

Expression of CREPT is associated with poor prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma

Cell-cycle-associated and expression-elevated protein in tumor (CREPT) functions as a cell cycle modulator that enhances the transcription of cyclin D1 by interacting with RNA polymerase II. CREPT has been identified to be overexpressed in various human cancer types; however, the expression and significance of CREPT in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has remained largely elusive. In the present study, increased expression of CREPT was identified in 46.7% RCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissue (31.1%; P=0.032) using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, overexpression of CREPT was significantly associated with the Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage (χ²=11.967, P=0.001) and Fuhrman grade (χ²=15.453, P<0.001). In addition, increased expression of CREPT was associated with poor overall survival (P=0.021) and disease-free survival (P=0.015) of patients according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cellular function assays demonstrated that knockdown of CREPT in the 786-O and 769P RCC cell lines suppressed their proliferative, colony formation, migratory and invasive capacity and led to cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. In addition, the western blotting analysis demonstrated that CREPT may control the cell cycle through downregulation of cyclin D1 and c-myc. Collectively, the overexpression of CREPT was indicated to be a negative prognostic factor for RCC, and CREPT may serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of RCC.

MicroRNA-300 inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by downregulating CREPT/Wnt/β-catenin signaling

A number of studies have demonstrated that altered expression levels of microRNA-300 (miR-300) are associated with tumor progression; however, little is understood regarding the role of miR-300 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the expression, biological function and potential regulatory mechanism of miR-300 in HCC. A miR-300 mimic and miR-300 inhibitor were transfected into liver cancer cells using RNAiMAX reagent. The expression levels of miR and mRNA were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression levels were detected by western blot analysis. Cell growth was determined using Cell Counting Kit-8, a colony formation assay and cell cycle assay. miRNA targeting sites were analyzed using bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay. The results revealed that miR-300 expression was significantly decreased in HCC tissues and cell lines. In vitro experiments demonstrated that overexpression of miR-300 could inhibit cell proliferation, colony formation and cell cycle progression of liver cancer cells. By contrast, inhibition of miR-300 was associated with increased rates of cell proliferation, colony formation and cell cycle progression. Notably, regulation of nuclear pre-mRNA domain-containing protein 1B (CREPT) was identified as a putative target gene of miR-300 by bioinformatics analysis. A luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-300 directly targets the 3′-untranslated region of CREPT. Further data demonstrated that miR-300 can regulate CREPT expression levels in liver cancer cells. Notably, miR-300 was identified to regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in liver cancer cells. The restoration of CREPT expression partially reversed the antitumor effect of miR-300. In conclusion, the current results revealed a tumor suppressive role of miR-300 in HCC and indicated that the underlying mechanism was associated with a regulation of CREPT. The present study suggests that miR-300 and CREPT may serve as potential therapeutic targets for liver cancer.

POM121 is identified as a novel prognostic marker of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Background: The aim of this study was to confirm the role of nuclear pore membrane protein 121(POM121) in oral squamous cell carcinoma and to explore the underlying mechanism. Methods: POM121mRNA and protein expressions were evaluated in OSCC tissues and normal oral tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The relationship between POM121 expression and clinical characteristics was analyzed. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore the possible mechanisms how POM121 affected OSCC. Results: We confirmed that POM121 mRNA expression in OSCC tissues was significantly higher than that in non-tumorous tissues, as was POM121 protein expression. POM121 expression was associated with distant metastasis and TNM stage. Multivariate analysis confirmed POM121 expression as an independent prognostic factor for OSCC patients. OSCC patients with high POM121 expression had a worse overall survival (OS) compared with patients with low POM121 expression. Bioinformatics analysis indicated POM121 may regulate OSCC through hedgehog and /or p53 signaling pathway. Conclusion: Targeting of POM121 expression levels could provide new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for OSCC patients.

CDCA7L promotes glioma proliferation by targeting CCND1 and predicts an unfavorable prognosis

Cell division cycle associated 7 like (CDCA7L) belongs to the JPO protein family, recently identified as a target gene of c-Myc and is frequently dysregulated in multiple cancers. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies to date have been carried out to investigate the functions of CDCA7L in glioma. Thus, in this study, the expression level of CDCA7L and its association with the prognosis in glioma were detected through the TCGA database. The mRNA expression levels of CDCA7L in glioblastoma (GBM) tissues and normal brain tissues were detected by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. To explore the role of CDCA7L in glioma, CDCA7L siRNA was constructed and transfected into U87 glioma cells. The expression levels of CDCA7L and cyclin D1 (CCND1) in glioma U87 cells following transfection with CDCA7L siRNA were measured by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. CCK-8, colony formation, EdU and Transwell assays were used to measure the effects of CDCA7L on U87 cell proliferation, and flow cytometry was used to monitor the changes in the cell cycle following transfection with CDCA7L siRNA. Xenograft tumors were examined in vivo for the carcinogenic effects, as well as the mechanisms and prognostic value of CDCA7L in glioma tissues. The results revealed that CDCA7L was highly expressed in human GBM tissues, and a high expression of CDCA7L was associated with a poor prognosis of glioma patients through the TCGA database. We demonstrated that CDCA7L was highly expressed in human GBM tissues and 3 glioma cell lines. The downregulation CDCA7L expression significantly inhibited the proliferation and colony formation ability of U87 cells by blocking cell cycle progression in the G₀/G₁ phase. In addition, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of CCND1 were markedly decreased following transfection with CDCA7L siRNA compared with NC siRNA in vitro. The downregulation CDCA7L expression reduced the number of invading cells. Consistent with the results of the in vitro assays, the xenograft assay, immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay and western blot analysis demonstrated that, in response to CDCA7L inhibition, tumor growth was inhibited, Ki-67 and CCND1 expression levels were decreased in vivo. On the whole, the results of the current study indicate that CDCA7L is highly expressed in human glioma tissues and that a high CDCA7L expression predicts a poor prognosis of glioma patients. CDCA7L promotes glioma U87 cell growth through CCND1.

MicroRNA‑143‑3p suppresses cell growth and invasion in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma via targeting the k‑Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have been identified as an important regulator in carcinogenesis and other pathological processes. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the function of miRNAs in the progression and development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the miRNA expression pattern in LSCC tissues was profiled using miRNA microarray analysis. It was found that a large set of miRNAs are aberrantly expressed in LSCC tissues and that miR‑143‑3p was the most markedly downregulated compared with normal tissues. The low expression of miR‑143‑3p was associated with poor prognosis in LSCC. The overexpression of miR‑143‑3p repressed cellular proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro, and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. The upregulation of miR‑143‑3p suppressed cell migration and invasion through inhibiting the epithelial‑mesenchymal transition cascade. In addition, it was verified that the oncogene k‑Ras is a target of miR‑143‑3p in LSCC cells, and the suppressive effects of miR‑143‑3p on LSCC cells were abrogated by the overexpression of k‑Ras. It was also revealed that miR‑143‑3p may inhibit cell growth and metastasis through targeting the k‑Ras/Raf/mitogen‑activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Taken together, the data indicated that the miR‑143‑3p/k‑Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK axis serves a key regulator in the development and progression of LSCC, suggesting that miR‑143‑3p may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in the treatment of LSCC.

CREPT facilitates colorectal cancer growth through inducing Wnt/β-catenin pathway by enhancing p300-mediated β-catenin acetylation

Using whole genome sequencing, we identified gene amplification of CREPT in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aim to clarify its clinical significance, biological effects, and mechanism in CRC. CREPT was upregulated in CRC cell lines and in 47.37% (72/152) of primary CRC tumors. Amplification of CREPT was detected in 48.28% (56/116) of primary CRC tumors, which was positively correlated with its overexpression (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that CRC patients with CREPT protein overexpression were significantly associated with poor disease-free survival (P < 0.05). CREPT significantly accelerated CRC cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. RNA-sequencing (seq) analysis uncovered that the tumor-promoting effect by CREPT was attributed to enhancing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Using co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectroscopy, we identified p300 protein was a novel CREPT interacting partner. CREPT greatly increased the interaction between p300 and β-catenin, thus promoting p300-mediated β-catenin acetylation and stabilization. Moreover, CREPT cooperated with p300, leading to elevated active histone acetylation markers H3K27ac and H4Ac and decreased repressive histone marker H3K9me3 at the promoters of Wnt downstream targets. In summary, CREPT plays a pivotal oncogenic role in colorectal carcinogenesis through promoting Wnt/β-catenin pathway via cooperating with p300. CREPT may serve as a prognostic biomarker of patients with CRC.

Overexpression of CREPT confers colorectal cancer sensitivity to fluorouracil

AIM

To investigate expression of cell cycle-related and expression-elevated protein in tumor (CREPT) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and determine its prognostic value in response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

METHODS

The relative expression of CREPT in CRC tumor samples was determined using immunohistochemistry. The protein content in cell lines was analyzed by immunoblotting. Cell viability was measured with the CCK-8 assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis analyses were performed with flow cytometry.

RESULTS

CREPT was overexpressed in CRC tissues and correlated with histological grade. Clinicopathological analysis indicated that CREPT was positively related to tumor progression. Exogenous expression of CREPT stimulated cell proliferation and accelerated the cell cycle. More importantly, high expression of CREPT sensitized CRC cells to 5-FU treatment. Furthermore, we demonstrated that 5-FU elicited significant apoptosis in CREPT-positive cells.

CONCLUSION

Aberrant overexpression of CREPT contributes to tumorigenesis of CRC by promoting cell proliferation and accelerating the cell cycle, and confers sensitivity to 5-FU. CREPT is a potential prognostic biomarker for 5-FU in CRC.

CREPT regulated by miR-138 promotes breast cancer progression

CREPT (also known as RPRD1B) function as an oncogene and is highly expressed in several kinds of cancers. However, the distribution and clinical significance of CREPT in breast cancer (BC) still not clarified. In this study, we found that the CREPT expression is greatly upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, the CREPT expression was significantly associated with tumor differentiation and metastasis. Next, the functional assay of CREPT showed that CREPT could promote BC proliferation and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-138 regulated the expression of CREPT by binding to its 3'-UTR. miR-138 is downregulated and inversely correlated with CREPT expression in BCs. Overexpression of miR-138 suppressed tumor growth and invasion, these effects could be reversed by re-expressing CREPT. Mechanistically, CREPT regulated β-catenin/TCF4/cyclin D1 pathway in BC. In conclusion, the data suggested that miR-138/CREPT involved BC progression, providing potential therapeutic targets for BC.