Project description:Identification of differently methylated regions of CpG islands in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissue from patients with progression free survival <3 years (worse outcome) vs. patients with PFS >3 years (good outcome, relapse free until last follow up). Patients were homogenous in regard to clinical (FIGO III/IV, serous histology, optimally resected (macroscopically tumor free), platin-taxan chemotherapy) and molecular properties (immunohistochemistry for p16, BRCA1, Ki67 and p53)).
Project description:Background: The expression of MDM4, a well-known p53-inhibitor, is positively associated with chemotherapy response and overall survival in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The basis of this association remains elusive. Since the occurrence of metastasis is one of the factors responsible for the high death rate of this cancer, we analyzed MDM4 involvement in EOC metastatic process. Methods: In vivo and in vitro models, based on 2D and 3D assays, were employed to assess the activity of MDM4 in ovarian cancer progression. A 3D-bioprinting co-culture system was ad hoc developed for this study. Proteomic analysis was conducted on 3D multicellular tumour spheroids to assess pathways triggered by MDM4 overexpression. Results: In mouse models, increased MDM4 reduced intraperitoneal dissemination of human and murine EOC cells, independently of p53 and in a cell-autonomous way. Consistently, high MDM4 correlates with increased overall survival probability in large public data sets. 2D and 3D assays indicated that MDM4 impairs the early steps of the metastatic process. The 3D-bioprinting co-culture system showed reduced dissemination and intravasation into vessel-like structures of MDM4-expressing cells. Proteomic analysis of EOC spheroids revealed that MDM4 reduces protein synthesis and decreases mTOR signaling. Accordingly, MDM4 did not further inhibit EOC cell migration when its activity towards mTOR is blocked genetically or pharmacologically. Conversely, increased MDM4 reduced the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors in constraining EOC cell migration. Conclusions: Overall, these data clarify the antagonism of MDM4 towards EOC progression and suggest the usefulness of MDM4 assessment for tailored application of mTOR targeted therapy.
Project description:Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is clinically heterogeneous, comprising different histological and biological subtypes. Multiple studies have implicated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a biological process by which polarized epithelial cells convert into a mesenchymal phenotype, to contribute significantly to this molecular heterogeneity of EOC. From gene expression analyses of a collection of EMT-characterized EOC cell lines, we found that the expression of the transcription factor Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2) correlates with E-cadherin expression and the epithelial phenotype. EOC tumors with lower levels of GRHL2 are associated with the Mes (mesenchymal) molecular subtype and show poorer overall survival in patients. Here, we demonstrate that shRNA-mediated knockdown of GRHL2 in EOC cells with an epithelial phenotype resulted in EMT changes, with increased cell migration, invasion and motility. By ChIP-sequencing and gene expression microarray, we identified a variety of target genes regulated by GRHL2, including protein-coding and non-coding genes. Our data suggest that GRHL2 maintains the epithelial phenotype of EOC cells through the regulatory networks of miR-200b/a, ZEB1 and E-cadherin. These findings support GRHL2 as a crucial player in the molecular heterogeneity of EOC. 7 samples were analyzed (shNon control in duplicates; shGRHL2 #10 in duplicates, shGRHL2 #12 in triplicates)
Project description:Purpose: The majority of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is diagnosed at advanced stage and has a poor prognosis. A proportion of these patients though will fare well, with a prognosis similar to patients with early stage disease while others die very quickly. Clinicopathological prognostic factors do not allow precise identification of these subgroups. Thus we have validated a molecular subclassification as prognostic factor in EOC. Experimental Design: One hundred ninety-four patients with EOC stage II to IV were characterized by whole-genome expression profiling of tumor tissues and classified using a published 112 gene-set, derived from a FIGO stage directed supervised classification approach. Results: The 194 tumor samples were classified into two subclasses of 95 (subclass 1) and 99 (subclass 2) tumors, grouping all 9 FIGO II tumors in subclass 1 (p=0.001). Subclass 2 (54% of advanced stage tumors) correlated significantly with peritoneal carcinomatosis and non-optimal debulking. Patients with subclass 2 tumors had a worse progression free survival (HR 1.67, p=0.005) by univariate analysis, but it was not an independent factor in multiple analysis. However, overall survival was impaired both, univariate (HR 3.68, p<0.001) and in models corrected for relevant clinicopathologic parameters (HR 3.13, p<0.001). Significance analysis of microarrays revealed 2,115 genes differentially expressed in both subclasses (FDR 5%). Conclusion: In this validation study we showed that in advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer two approximately equally large molecular subtypes exist, independent from classical clinocopathological parameters presenting with highly different whole genome expression profiles and an impressively different overall survival. Purpose: The majority of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is diagnosed at advanced stage and has a poor prognosis. A proportion of these patients though will fare well, with a prognosis similar to patients with early stage disease while others die very quickly. Clinicopathological prognostic factors do not allow precise identification of these subgroups. Thus we have validated a molecular subclassification as prognostic factor in EOC. Experimental Design: One hundred ninety-four patients with EOC stage II to IV were characterized by whole-genome expression profiling of tumor tissues and classified using a published 112 gene-set, derived from a FIGO stage directed supervised classification approach. Results: The 194 tumor samples were classified into two subclasses of 95 (subclass 1) and 99 (subclass 2) tumors, grouping all 9 FIGO II tumors in subclass 1 (p=0.001). Subclass 2 (54% of advanced stage tumors) correlated significantly with peritoneal carcinomatosis and non-optimal debulking. Patients with subclass 2 tumors had a worse progression free survival (HR 1.67, p=0.005) by univariate analysis, but it was not an independent factor in multiple analysis. However, overall survival was impaired both, univariate (HR 3.68, p<0.001) and in models corrected for relevant clinicopathologic parameters (HR 3.13, p<0.001). Significance analysis of microarrays revealed 2,115 genes differentially expressed in both subclasses (FDR 5%). Conclusion: In this validation study we showed that in advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer two approximately equally large molecular subtypes exist, independent from classical clinocopathological parameters presenting with highly different whole genome expression profiles and an impressively different overall survival. Targeted therapies in second line treatment gain more and more importance in managing recurrent or progressive carcinomas, particularly in ovarian cancer, a cancer entity characterized by a very high recurrence rate. One step ahead, it is necessary to define new therapeutic targets and to select patients who might benefit from these therapies already in first line settings. A robust molecular subclassification could provide both, an adequate patient selection and potential new targets. Notably, the validation of such a subclassification is of outstanding importance to obtain a reliable basis for a specific clinical decision and a rational for the expensive development of new targeted therapies. This work provides a comprehensive basis for both. The expression values of 204 epithelial ovarian cancer tissues are determined and used for the validation of a subclassification approach (Cancer Sci. 2009 Aug;100(8):1421-8.)
Project description:Previously, we have identified the polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GALNT3) gene as notably hypomethylated in low-malignant potential (LMP) and high-grade (HG) serous epithelial ovarian tumors, compared to normal ovarian tissues. Here we show that GALNT3 is strongly overexpressed in both LMP and HG serous EOC tumors, thus suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms might be implicated in GALNT3 overexpression in serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Moreover, GALNT3 expression significantly correlated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) periods in serous EOC patients with advanced disease. Knockdown of the GALNT3 expression in EOC cells led to sharp decrease of cell proliferation and induced S-phase cell cycle arrest. Additionally, GALNT3 suppression significantly inhibited EOC cell migration and invasion. Gene expression profiling and consecutive network and pathway analyses confirmed these findings, as numerous genes and pathways known previously to be implicated in ovarian tumorigenesis, including EOC tumor invasion and metastasis, were found to be downregulated upon GALNT3 suppression, while some tumor suppressor genes were induced. Moreover, GALNT3 downregulation was associated with reduced MUC1 protein expression in EOC cells, probably related to destabilization of the MUC1 protein due to lack of GALNT3 glycosylation activity.Taken together, our data are indicative for a strong oncogenic potential of the GALNT3 gene in advanced EOC and identify this transferase as a novel EOC biomarker and putative EOC therapeutic target. Our findings also suggest that GALNT3 overexpression might contribute to ovarian etiology through aberrant mucin O-glycosylation.
Project description:Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is clinically heterogeneous, comprising different histological and biological subtypes. Multiple studies have implicated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a biological process by which polarized epithelial cells convert into a mesenchymal phenotype, to contribute significantly to this molecular heterogeneity of EOC. From gene expression analyses of a collection of EMT-characterized EOC cell lines, we found that the expression of the transcription factor Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2) correlates with E-cadherin expression and the epithelial phenotype. EOC tumors with lower levels of GRHL2 are associated with the Mes (mesenchymal) molecular subtype and show poorer overall survival in patients. Here, we demonstrate that shRNA-mediated knockdown of GRHL2 in EOC cells with an epithelial phenotype resulted in EMT changes, with increased cell migration, invasion and motility. By ChIP-sequencing and gene expression microarray, we identified a variety of target genes regulated by GRHL2, including protein-coding and non-coding genes. Our data suggest that GRHL2 maintains the epithelial phenotype of EOC cells through the regulatory networks of miR-200b/a, ZEB1 and E-cadherin. These findings support GRHL2 as a crucial player in the molecular heterogeneity of EOC.
Project description:Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is clinically heterogeneous, comprising different histological and biological subtypes. Multiple studies have implicated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a biological process by which polarized epithelial cells convert into a mesenchymal phenotype, to contribute significantly to this molecular heterogeneity of EOC. From gene expression analyses of a collection of EMT-characterized EOC cell lines, we found that the expression of the transcription factor Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2) correlates with E-cadherin expression and the epithelial phenotype. EOC tumors with lower levels of GRHL2 are associated with the Mes (mesenchymal) molecular subtype and show poorer overall survival in patients. Here, we demonstrate that shRNA-mediated knockdown of GRHL2 in EOC cells with an epithelial phenotype resulted in EMT changes, with increased cell migration, invasion and motility. By ChIP-sequencing and gene expression microarray, we identified a variety of target genes regulated by GRHL2, including protein-coding and non-coding genes. Our data suggest that GRHL2 maintains the epithelial phenotype of EOC cells through the regulatory networks of miR-200b/a, ZEB1 and E-cadherin. These findings support GRHL2 as a crucial player in the molecular heterogeneity of EOC.
Project description:Previously, we have identified the polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GALNT3) gene as notably hypomethylated in low-malignant potential (LMP) and high-grade (HG) serous epithelial ovarian tumors, compared to normal ovarian tissues. Here we show that GALNT3 is strongly overexpressed in both LMP and HG serous EOC tumors, thus suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms might be implicated in GALNT3 overexpression in serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Moreover, GALNT3 expression significantly correlated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) periods in serous EOC patients with advanced disease. Knockdown of the GALNT3 expression in EOC cells led to sharp decrease of cell proliferation and induced S-phase cell cycle arrest. Additionally, GALNT3 suppression significantly inhibited EOC cell migration and invasion. Gene expression profiling and consecutive network and pathway analyses confirmed these findings, as numerous genes and pathways known previously to be implicated in ovarian tumorigenesis, including EOC tumor invasion and metastasis, were found to be downregulated upon GALNT3 suppression, while some tumor suppressor genes were induced. Moreover, GALNT3 downregulation was associated with reduced MUC1 protein expression in EOC cells, probably related to destabilization of the MUC1 protein due to lack of GALNT3 glycosylation activity.Taken together, our data are indicative for a strong oncogenic potential of the GALNT3 gene in advanced EOC and identify this transferase as a novel EOC biomarker and putative EOC therapeutic target. Our findings also suggest that GALNT3 overexpression might contribute to ovarian etiology through aberrant mucin O-glycosylation. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of GALNT3 gene action in ovarian cancer cells, we employed the Agilent Whole Human Genome microarrays, containing ~ 44,000 genes to identify global gene expression changes upon GALNT3 suppression in A2780s cells. We compared the gene expression of the previously selected clone shRNA- GALNT3-knockdown clones 1 & 2 (sh-cl1 & sh-cl2) against the corresponding control (ctrl) clone. The microarray experiments were performed in duplicates, as four hybridizations were carried out for the GALNT3-suppressing cell clones against the corresponding control, using a fluorescent dye reversal (dye-swap) technique.
Project description:The impact of specific p53 mutations on ovarian tumor development and response to therapeutic treatment remain limited. Here, using transgenic mouse models of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), we demonstrated that the Trp53R172H mutation promotes EOC progression compared to wild-type p53, but with different consequences between heterozygous and homozygous mutation status. EOC expressing heterozygous Trp53R172H mutation has enhanced responsiveness to steroid hormones and at late stage developed mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. These findings open new realms for exploring the interaction between p53 and steroid receptor, and the allelic status of p53 in EOC development and treatment.
Project description:Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is an aggressive tumor often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when there is little prospect for cure. Despite some advances in surgical and chemotherapeutic strategies, only marginal improvements in patient outcome have been obtained. Hence, understanding the biological mechanisms underpinning EOC progression is critical for its treatment and to ameliorate patients survival. Recently, we reported that CD157 is expressed in EOC and controls tumor cell migration and invasion. Using stable overexpression and knockdown in OVCAR-3 and OV-90 ovarian cancer cell lines, we demonstrated that CD157 overexpression promotes morphological and functional changes, characterized by downregulation of epithelial marker and upregulation of mesenchymal ones. These are mediated at the transcriptional level by altering the expression of Snail and Zeb1 transcriptional repressors. The effects of CD157 overexpression on ovarian cancer phenotype translate into increased tumor cell motility and mesotelial invasion, while its knockdown significantly reduces the migratory potential, implying a direct correlation between CD157 expression levels and EOC aggressiveness. The analysis of the transcriptomic profiling highlighted 378 significantly differentially expressed genes, representing the signature of CD157-overexpressing EOC cells. The overall picture deduced from the analysis of these modulated transcripts indicated that high CD157 expression results in strengthening of a number of biological functions that favour tumor progression (including cell differentiation, cell motility and migration), and weakening of selected biological processes that hinder the tumor progression (such as apoptosis, cell death and response to stress). Collectively, these data support a causal role of CD157 in the control of ovarian cancer progression motivating the existence of a direct correlation between the expression levels of CD157 and the adverse clinical outcome in EOC patients, and suggest that CD157 may represent a valuable therapeutic target. Gene expression analysisi of control cell lines (OVCAR-3/mock and OV-90/mock) and testing cell lines (OVCAR-3/CD157 and OV-90/CD157), with two replicates, with dye swap, performed for each sample.