Prognostic values of F-box members in breast cancer: an online database analysis and literature review.

F-box proteins are the substrate-recognizing subunits of SKP1 (S-phase kinase-associated protein 1)-cullin1-F-box protein (SCF) E3 ligase complexes that play pivotal roles in multiple cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Dysregulation of F-box proteins may lead to an unbalanced proteolysis of numerous protein substrates, contributing to progression of human malignancies. However, the prognostic values of F-box members, especially at mRNA levels, in breast cancer (BC) are elusive. An online database, which is constructed based on the gene expression data and survival information downloaded from GEO (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/), was used to investigate the prognostic values of 15 members of mRNA expression in BC. We found that higher mRNA expression levels of FBXO1, FBXO31, SKP2, and FBXO5 were significantly associated with worse prognosis for BC patients. While FBXO4 and β-TrCP1 were found to be correlated to better overall survival (OS). The associated results provide new insights into F-box members in the development and progression of BC. Further researches to explore the F-box protein-targetting reagents for treating BC are needed.