Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of HERC4 in human breast cancer tissues and its relationship with the
clinicopathological features. Methods RT-qPCR was used to detect mRNA expression of HERC4, and Western blotting and
immunohistochemistry were employed to detect protein expression of HERC4 in 67 breast cancer tissues and adjacent breast
tissues. Results The results of RT-qPCR showed a significantly higher mRNA expression of HERC4 in breast cancer tissues
than in the adjacent breast tissues (P<0.05). Western blotting demonstrated HERC4 over-expression in breast cancer tissues
compared with the adjacent breast tissues (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry revealed HERC4 expression located predominantly
in the cell cytoplasm. Positive HERC4 expression was detected in 61.2% of the breast cancer tissues as compared to 19.4% in
the adjacent breast tissues, and its expression level was closely correlated with TNM stage and the histological grade (P<0.05).
Conclusion HERC4 is correlated with the tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer and may serve as a potential
biomarker for early diagnosis and also as a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.