ST3GAL4 expression associates with survival in triple negative breast cancer.
We mined published microarray data (1) to understand the most significant gene expression differences in the tumors of triple negative breast cancer patients based on survival following treatment: dead or alive. We observed significant transcriptome-wide differential expression of ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 4, encoded by ST3GAL4 when comparing the primary tumors of triple negative breast cancer patients dead or alive. Importantly, ST3GAL4 expression was correlated with distant metastasis-free survival in basal subtype breast cancer, a molecular subtype sharing significant overlap with triple negative breast cancer. ST3GAL4 may be of relevance as a biomarker or as a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of triple negative breast cancer.