Bcl2L12 plays a role in post-mitochondrial apoptosis through multiple mechanisms involving p53, αB-
crystallin,
caspase-3 and -7 in
glioblastoma. Bcl2L12 is reported to be a good prognostic marker in
breast cancer and correlated with ER and Bcl2 expression status. However, the mechanisms by which Bcl2L12 regulates apoptosis in
breast cancer (BCa) remain unknown. Recent studies have shown that Bcl2L12 expression is a useful
biomarker in other types of
cancer. Thus, we examined whether Bcl2L12 and Bcl2L12A
mRNA were associated with
breast cancer progression or a specific subtype. In total, 106
paraffin-embedded, different stage
breast cancer specimens were prepared and quantified for Bcl2L12 and Bcl2L12A expression by PCR. The correlation between Bcl2L12 and Bcl2L12A
mRNA levels and clinicopathological characteristics was statistically analyzed. The results showed that Bcl2L12 and Bcl2L12A
mRNA expression was not significantly different across the different stage, grade and TNM classification groups (P>0.005). Using linear regression, Bcl2L12
mRNA was associated with Bcl2L12A
mRNA, grade 3
tumor and the
triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype. In non-TNBC specimens, Bcl2L12
mRNA was only correlated with Bcl2L12A
mRNA. Bcl2L12A
mRNA was positively associated with Bcl2L12
mRNA and the number of
lymph node metastases, but negatively correlated with staging in the non-TNBC group. Specifically, Bcl2L12, but not Bcl2L12A,
mRNA was significantly higher in TNBC and grade 3
tumors, respectively. In non-TNBC, Bcl2L12A
mRNA was significantly highly expressed in
tumors with ≥ 12 metastatic lymph nodes. Bcl2L12 and its variant
mRNA were highly expressed in
carcinoma in situ (CIS) samples. In addition, they were estimated to be correlated with the total sample and non-TNBC, but not the TNBC group. In summary, a high Bcl2L12
mRNA expression was associated with the high-grade BCa and TNBC subtype. In addition, the interplay between Bcl2L12 and its variant may be associated with high
lymph node metastasis in non-TNBC
tumors.