Transcriptomic analysis of human breast cancer cells reveals differentially expressed genes and related cellular functions and pathways in response to gold nanorods

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Recent advances in nanomedicine have shown that gold nanorods (AuNRs), as multifunctional drug delivery and photothermal therapeutic agents, have potential for use in cancer therapy. However, the effect of AuNRs on the transcriptome of breast cancer cells is unknown. In the present study, cells of the triple-negative human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, which has high metastatic activity, were treated with AuNRs for transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq technology. In total, 3126 genes were found to be up-regulated and 3558 genes were found to be down-regulated in AuNR-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. These differentially expressed genes presumably take part in multiple biological pathways, including glycolysis and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, and impact a variety of cellular functions, including chemoattractant activity. The distinct gene expression profile of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with AuNRs provides a foundation for further screening and validation of important genes involved in the interaction between AuNRs and MDA-MB-231 cells.