Upregulated SMURF1 and miR-520d-5p in Basal Cell Carcinoma: Possible Implications for TGF-β/SMAD Signalling

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer. SMAD-specific E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (SMURF1), a protein involved in regulating the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signalling pathway, and miR-520d-5p may play a role in the development and progression of BCC. In this study, we investigated the potential roles of SMURF1 and miR-520d-5p, known to affect cancer pathogenesis, in the pathogenesis of BCC. We included 30 BCC tissues and 30 noncancerous skin tissues in the study. Gene expression levels were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR. We performed in silico analyses to identify possible genes and signalling pathways associated with BCC. SMURF1 and miR-520d-5p showed significantly increased expression in BCC tissues compared to controls (p = 0.029 and p = 0.011, respectively). According to in silico analyses, SMURF1 and miR-520d-5p are predicted to be involved in the TGF-β signalling pathway. miR-520d-5p is predicted to regulate multiple target genes in the TGF-β signalling pathway, which requires experimental validation. Our findings indicate that SMURF1 and miR-520d-5p are upregulated in BCC and may be associated with BCC pathogenesis. Both molecules are upregulated in BCC tissues and are implicated in the regulation of the TGF-β signalling pathway. According to in silico analysis, SMURF1, SMAD2, SMAD4, TGFBR1, SMAD7, SMURF2, RUNX2, MAPK1, and TGFB3 are key genes involved in the TGF-β signalling pathway, which may be relevant to BCC pathogenesis.