Evidence mapPaperPMID 41998594Full record

ArticleCancer cell international2026

TMEM70 drives breast cancer progression via mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and microenvironment remodeling.

Boyang Li, Zehao Hong, Ruonan Lin, Jinghao Pan, Haoyi Xu, Chenlu Fang, Boxiang Zhang, Kuan Wang, Lucy Yue Lau, Chao Dong and 1 more

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Article in Cancer cell international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Boyang Li *Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China.
Zehao Hong *Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China.
Ruonan LinThe First Clinical School of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Henan, 450052, Zhengzhou, China.
Jinghao PanThe First Clinical School of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Henan, 450052, Zhengzhou, China.
Haoyi XuDepartment of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China.
Chenlu FangThe First Clinical School of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Henan, 450052, Zhengzhou, China.
Boxiang ZhangDepartment of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China.
Kuan WangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China.
Lucy Yue LauDepartment of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
Chao DongDepartment of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China. dongchao@xjmu.edu.cn.
Yi ChenDepartment of Breast and Thyroid Surgery and The Clinical Medical Research Center, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, 830011, Xinjiang, China. ChenYiCSU@outlook.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTMEM70 is a nuclear-encoded inner mitochondrial membrane protein involved in ATP synthase assembly and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Although previous studies have linked TMEM70 to breast cancer prognosis and copy number alteration, its biological role in breast cancer remains incompletely defined.

methodsWe integrated bulk transcriptomic, proteomic, clinical, spatial transcriptomic, and single-cell RNA-sequencing data to characterize TMEM70 expression, prognostic relevance, spatial distribution, immune context, intercellular communication, and pathway associations in breast cancer. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to evaluate proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and mitochondrial function. Pharmacogenomic analysis, Connectivity Map screening, and molecular docking were used to identify candidate compounds associated with the TMEM70-high state.

resultsTMEM70 was consistently upregulated in breast cancer across datasets and platforms and was associated with poor prognosis. Spatial and single-cell analyses showed that TMEM70 was enriched in malignant regions and malignant cell populations. High TMEM70 expression was also associated with an immune-active but functionally constrained microenvironment, characterized by altered immune-cell correlations, cancer-immunity-cycle activity, immunoregulatory remodeling, and enhanced MIF-centered intercellular communication. Functionally, TMEM70 promoted proliferation and migration while suppressing apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, TMEM70 was closely associated with mitochondrial OXPHOS and maintained mitochondrial membrane potential, redox homeostasis, ATP production, and OXPHOS-related protein expression. Entinostat and clofibrate emerged as candidate compounds associated with the TMEM70-high program.

conclusionsTMEM70 is a clinically relevant pro-tumor factor in breast cancer and may promote malignant progression, at least in part, by sustaining mitochondrial OXPHOS and supporting a tumor-favoring microenvironment. TMEM70 may therefore serve as a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Indexed as

Breast cancerOxidative phosphorylationTherapeutic targetTMEM70Tumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41998594
PMCPMC13220385

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