Additionally, low miR-409-3p expression in breast cancer tissues was significantly associated with the advanced TNM stage (p = 0.004), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001), and poorer pathological differentiation (p = 0.026).
Our data collectively indicate that miR-409-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in BC through downregulating Akt1, supporting the targeting of the novel miR-409-3p/Akt1 axis as a potentially effective therapeutic approach for BC.
Further we validated our previously reported circulating miRNAs (miR-148b, miR-376c, miR-409-3p and miR-801) in an independent cohort (n = 210) as elevated in the plasma of breast cancer patients compared to healthy women.