Journal
ONCOGENE
Volume 29, Issue 14, Pages 2153-2159Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/onc.2009.500
Keywords
Lin28; Oct4; ovarian cancer; cancer stem cell; gene therapy; molecular diagnostics
Funding
- Fannie E Rippel Foundation
- CT Stem Cell Grant [09SCAYALE14]
- Yale School of Medicine 'Senior Women in Medicine' Professorship
- NIH [CA 79808]
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Lin28 and Oct4 are highly expressed in human embryonic stem (ES) cells and, along with two other stem cell marker proteins (Nanog and Sox2), together can convert human somatic cells to pluripotency. As an RNA-binding protein, Lin28 acts to stimulate the translation of a specific subset of mRNAs, and to inhibit the biogenesis of a group of microRNAs. Oct4 is a transcription factor essential for the maintenance of pluripotency and survival of ES cells. In this study, we report that a sub-population of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells co-expresses Lin28 and Oct4 as demonstrated in the analyses of both cell lines and patient tumor samples. We also observe that the combined expression of these proteins in tumor samples is correlated with advanced tumor grade. Intriguingly, when the expression of these two proteins is repressed in the same cells using RNA interference, there is significant reduction in cell growth and survival. We thus propose that Lin28 and Oct4 may have important roles in the initiation and/or progression of EOC, and consequently may serve as important molecular diagnostics and/or therapeutic targets for the development of novel treatment strategies in EOC patients. Oncogene (2010) 29, 2153-2159; doi: 10.1038/onc.2009.500; published online 25 January 2010
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