Abstract

PINK1 codes for a serine/threonine-protein kinase located in the mitochondria. This protein contributes in the pathophysiology of both neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Its transcription has been shown to be regulated by a natural occurring antisense (AS) RNA named PINK1-AS. We examined expression levels of PINK1 and PINK1-AS in 54 breast cancer specimens versus their nearby non-cancerous tissues. We found significant downregulation of PINK1 in tumoral tissues compared with nearby tissues (P = .003). Yet, expression of PINK1-AS was not remarkably different between tumoral tissues and nearby tissues. Relative expression of PINK1 was associated with mitotic rate (P = .03). We also found trends toward over-expression of PINK1 in younger patient compared with older patients (P = .09) and in grade 2 tumors compared with grade 3 ones (P = .08). The current study delivers further evidences for contribution of PINK1 in the pathophysiology of breast cancer and highlights the context-dependent properties the encoded protein.