Project description:Here we show that ovarian progesterone is a crucial endogenous factor inducing metastatic ovarian cancer in a mouse model of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). To examine the molecular signaling pathways underlying progesterone (P4)-induced HGSC development, we performed gene-expression profiling using RNA sequencing.
Project description:Background: The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC), clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCC) and ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). Selected miRNAs were evaluated for association with clinical parameters including survival, and miRNA/mRNA interactions were mapped. Results: Differentially expressed miRNAs between HGSC, CCC and OSE were identified, of which 18 were validated (p<0.01) using RT-qPCR in an extended cohort. Compared with OSE, miR-205-5p was the most overexpressed miRNA in HGSC. miR-200 family members and miR-182-5p were the most overexpressed in HGSC and CCC compared with OSE, whereas miR-383 was the most underexpressed. miR-509-3-5p, miR-509-5p, miR-509-3p and miR-510 were among the strongest differentiators between HGSC and CCC, all being significantly overexpressed in CCC compared with HGSC. High miR-200c-3p expression was associated with poor progression-free (p=0.031) and overall (p=0.026) survival in HGSC. Interacting miRNAs and mRNA targets, including those of a TP53-related pathway presented previously, were identified in HGSC. Conclusions: Several miRNAs are overexpressed in HGSC and CCC compared with OSE, including the miR-200 family, among which miR-200c-3p is associated with survival in HGSC. A set of miRNAs differentiates CCC from HGSC, of which miR-509-3-5p and miR-509-5p are the strongest classifiers. Several interactions between miRNAs and mRNAs in HGSC were mapped. Methods: Differences in miRNA expression between HGSC, CCC and OSE scrapings were analyzed by global miRNA expression profiling (Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 2.0 Arrays, n=30), validated by RT-qPCR (n=63), and evaluated for associations with clinical parameters. For HGSC, differentially expressed miRNAs were linked to differentially expressed mRNAs identified previously (GSE36668).
Project description:Profiling of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in HGSC, subcrouping HGSC by LOH-based clustering and comparing to the LOH profiles of triple-negative breast cancer [previously submitted; GSE19594]. Study for the correlation of LOH burdern and LOH-based subgroups to clinical response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients suffered from HGSC. SNP data (Affymetrix GenChip 250K SNP Nsp) from 47 high grade serous ovarian cancer were generated and used for LOH and copy number analysis, LOH-based hierarchical clustering to subclassify HGSC, and comparison to the chromosomal alterations in high grade brest cancer. The associstion between LOH-based subgroups and LOH burden and clinical resposne to platinum-based chemotherapy was investigated. The results were validated in two independent public opening datasets.
Project description:High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC), the principal cause of death from gynecological malignancies in the world, has not significantly benefited from recent progress in cancer immunotherapy. While HGSC infiltration by lymphocytes correlates with superior survival, the nature of antigens that can elicit anti-HGSC immune responses is unknown. The goal of this study was to establish the global landscape of HGSC tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) using a mass spectrometry pipeline that interrogates all reading frames of all genomic regions. In 23 HGSC tumors, we identified 113 TSAs. Classic TSA discovery approaches focusing only on mutated exonic sequences would have uncovered only seven of these TSAs. Other mutated TSAs resulted from out-of-frame exonic translation or from non-exonic sequences. The most interesting group of TSAs (n = 94) derived from aberrantly expressed unmutated genomic sequences which are not expressed in normal tissues. These aberrantly expressed TSAs (aeTSAs) derived primarily from non-exonic sequences, in particular intronic (31%) and intergenic (22%). Their expression was regulated at the transcriptional level by variations in gene copy number and DNA methylation. While mutated TSAs were unique to individual tumors, aeTSAs were shared by a large proportion of HGSCs. We conclude that, in view of their number and the fact that they are shared by many tumors, aeTSAs may be the most attractive targets for HGSC immunotherapy.
Project description:The neurotoxic amino acid, domoic acid, is naturally produced by marine phytoplankton and presents a significant health threat to marine mammal and human populations. Currently, diagnostic tools to assess exposure are not available, yet concerns regarding health impacts associated with low-level repetitive exposure are growing. Here we applied a laboratory zebrafish model to assess exposure to asymptomatic doses of domoic acid in a nine-month low-level repetitive exposure study. Blood analyses, whole brain gene expression, and functional lymphocyte proliferation assays analyzed at 11 time points revealed a quantifiable antibody response that was temporally correlated with upregulated immune response genes and significantly increased spontaneous lymphocyte proliferation. The antibody response was further validated in field exposed California sea lions and provides the first biomarker for chronic exposure assessment. Time series domoic acid exposure of zebrafish.
Project description:Profiling of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in HGSC, subcrouping HGSC by LOH-based clustering and comparing to the LOH profiles of triple-negative breast cancer [previously submitted; GSE19594]. Study for the correlation of LOH burdern and LOH-based subgroups to clinical response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients suffered from HGSC.