Abstract
The deubiquitinase enzyme RPN11 is involved in oncogenesis in various types of cancer. However, in breast cancer, the expression levels, prognostic relevance and biological function of RPN11 remains unclear. In the present study, RPN11 expression levels in breast cancer tissues and adjacent non‑tumor tissues were determined by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining, and the association of RPN11 with clinicopathological features of breast cancer was evaluated. RPN11 expression was upregulated in breast cancer tissues compared with healthy tissues. Additionally, high expression levels of RPN11 may be an indicator of poor prognosis, as validated by a breast cancer cohort from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Knockdown of RPN11 in MDA‑MB‑231 and T47D cells significantly reduced cell proliferation and enhanced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis. Exogenous overexpression of RPN11 in MCF7 and Hs578T cells promoted cell growth and inhibited apoptosis. In addition, knockdown of RPN11 abrogated cell migration and reduced epithelial‑mesenchymal transition. In conclusion, these findings suggested that RPN11 may function as an oncogene and its upregulation in breast cancer suggests that it may be a therapeutic target.