{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T22:44:14Z","timestamp":1790635454585,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768953600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>MicroRNAs are key post-transcriptional regulators in breast cancer, but their time-dependent dynamics and downstream oncogenic effects are not fully understood. miR-548c-3p has been proposed as a tumor suppressor, yet its temporal behavior and impact on cell cycle drivers remain unclear. This study investigated the time-dependent expression of miR-548c-3p and its post-transcriptional regulation of E2F3 and FOXM1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Cells were analyzed at multiple time points (2\u201372 h) by quantitative real-time PCR to assess dynamic changes in miR-548c-3p, E2F3, and FOXM1 mRNA levels. Bioinformatic validation using TCGA-BRCA datasets and public platforms evaluated gene expression, promoter methylation, and prognostic significance. miR-548c-3p showed a progressive time-dependent decline, with the lowest levels at 72 h, whereas E2F3 and FOXM1 were significantly upregulated over time, supporting a post-transcriptional derepression mechanism. TCGA-based analyses confirmed overexpression and hypomethylation of E2F3 and FOXM1 in breast cancer, particularly in triple-negative tumors, and high expression of both genes was associated with poor survival. These findings indicate that time-dependent loss of miR-548c-3p contributes to E2F3 and FOXM1 activation through a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism, highlighting this miRNA\u2013oncogene axis as a potential prognostic signature and therapeutic target in breast cancer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27021052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T11:11:17Z","timestamp":1768993877000},"page":"1052","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Time-Dependent Loss of miR-548c-3p and Activation of E2F3\/FOXM1 in Breast Cancer: In Vitro and TCGA-Based Evidence for a Post-Transcriptional Mechanism"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Buket","family":"Bozkurt","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ni\u011fde \u00d6mer Halisdemir University, Ni\u011fde 51240, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Durmus","family":"Ayan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ni\u011fde \u00d6mer Halisdemir University, Ni\u011fde 51240, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Seyyid Mehmet","family":"Bulut","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ni\u011fde \u00d6mer Halisdemir University, Ni\u011fde 51240, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1007\/s13402-015-0239-3","article-title":"Identification of miR-10b, miR-26a, miR-146a and miR-153 as potential triple-negative breast cancer biomarkers","volume":"38","author":"Privat","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cell Oncol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopha.2016.01.026","article-title":"The role of oncomirs in the pathogenesis and treatment of breast cancer","volume":"78","author":"Hemmatzadeh","year":"2016","journal-title":"Biomed. 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