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Abstract Background Cell line models have proven to be effective tools to investigate a variety of ovarian cancer features. Due to the limited number of cell lines, particularly of the serous subtype, the heterogeneity of the disease, and the lack of cell lines that model disease progression, there is a need to further develop cell line resources available for research. This study describes nine cell lines derived from three ovarian cancer cases that were established at initial diagnosis and at subsequent relapse after chemotherapy. Methods The cell lines from three women diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (1369, 2295 and 3133) were derived from solid tumor (TOV) and ascites (OV), at specific time points at diagnosis and relapse (R). Primary treatment was a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin (1369, 3133), or cisplatin/topotecan (2295). Second line treatment included doxorubicin, gemcitabine and topotecan. In addition to molecular characterization (p53, HER2), the cell lines were characterized based on cell growth characteristics including spheroid growth, migration potential, and anchorage independence. The in vivo tumorigenicity potential of the cell lines was measured. Response to paclitaxel and carboplatin was assessed using a clonogenic assay. Results All cell lines had either a nonsense or missense TP53 mutations. The ability to form compact spheroids or aggregates was observed in six of nine cell lines. Limited ability for migration and anchorage independence was observed. The OV3133(R) cell line, formed tumors at subcutaneous sites in SCID mice. Based on IC50 values and dose response curves, there was clear evidence of acquired resistance to carboplatin for TOV2295(R) and OV2295(R2) cell lines. Conclusion The study identified nine new high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines, derived before and after chemotherapy that provides a unique resource for investigating the evolution of this common histopathological subtype of ovarian cancer.

Background: Ovarian cancer is a metastatic disease and one of the leading causes of gynaecology malignancy-related deaths in women. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are key contributors of cancer metastasis and relapse. Integrins are a family of cell surface receptors which allow interactions between cells and their surrounding microenvironment and play a fundamental role in promoting metastasis. This study investigates the molecular mechanism which associates CSCs and integrins in ovarian cancer metastasis.Methods: The expression of Oct4A in high-grade serous ovarian tumors and normal ovaries was determined by immunofluorescence analysis. The functional role of Oct4A was evaluated by generating stable knockdown (KD) of Oct4A clones in an established ovarian cancer cell line HEY using shRNA-mediated silencing. The expression of integrins in cell lines was evaluated by flow cytometry. Spheroid forming ability, adhesion and the activities of matrix metalloproteinases 9/2 (MMP-9/2) was measured by in vitro functional assays and gelatin zymography. These observations were further validated in in vivo mouse models using Balb/c nu/nu mice.Results: We report significantly elevated expression of Oct4A in high-grade serous ovarian tumors compared to normal ovarian tissues. The expression of Oct4A in ovarian cancer cell lines correlated with their CSC-related sphere forming abilities. The suppression of Oct4A in HEY cells resulted in a significant diminution of integrin β1 expression and associated α5 and α2 subunits compared to vector control cells. This was associated with a reduced adhesive ability on collagen and fibronectin and decreased secretion of pro-MMP2 in Oct4A KD cells compared to vector control cells. In vivo, Oct4A knock down (KD) cells produced tumors which were significantly smaller in size and weight compared to tumors derived from vector control cells. Immunohistochemical analyses of Oct4A KD tumor xenografts demonstrated a significant loss of cytokeratin 7 (CK7), Glut-1 as well as CD34 and CD31 compared to vector control cell-derived xenografts.Conclusion: The expression of Oct4A may be crucial to promote and sustain integrin-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling requisite for tumor metastasis in ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) has been suggested to act as a tumour suppressor gene in various human cancers, yet its role in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has not yet been investigated. We previously observed that IGFBP7 was one of several genes found significantly upregulated in an EOC cell line model rendered non-tumourigenic as consequence of genetic manipulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of IGFBP7 in high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC), the most common type of EOC. Methods: We analysed IGFBP7 gene expression in 11 normal ovarian surface epithelial cells (NOSE), 79 high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSC), and seven EOC cell lines using a custom gene expression array platform. IGFBP7 mRNA expression profiles were also extracted from publicly available databases. Protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry of 175 HGSC and 10 normal fallopian tube samples using tissue microarray and related to disease outcome. We used EOC cells to investigate possible mechanisms of gene inactivation and describe various in vitro growth effects of exposing EOC cell lines to human recombinant IGFBP7 protein and conditioned media. Results: All HGSCs exhibited IGFBP7 expression levels that were significantly (p = 0.001) lower than the mean of the expression value of NOSE samples and that of a whole ovary sample. IGFBP7 gene and protein expression were lower in tumourigenic EOC cell lines relative to a non-tumourigenic EOC cell line. None of the EOC cell lines harboured a somatic mutation in IGFBP7, although loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the IGFBP7 locus and epigenetic methylation silencing of the IGFBP7 promoter was observed in two of the cell lines exhibiting loss of gene/protein expression. In vitro functional assays revealed an alteration of the EOC cell migration capacity. Protein expression analysis of HGSC samples revealed that the large majority of tumour cores (72.6%) showed low or absence of IGFBP7 staining and revealed a significant correlation between IGFBP7 protein expression and a prolonged overall survival (p = 0.044). Conclusion: The low levels of IGFPB7 in HGSC relative to normal tissues, and association with survival are consistent with a purported role in tumour suppressor pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current treatment of ovarian cancer patients with chemotherapy leaves behind a residual tumor which results in recurrent ovarian cancer within a short time frame. We have previously demonstrated that a single short-term treatment of ovarian cancer cells with chemotherapy in vitro resulted in a cancer stem cell (CSC)-like enriched residual population which generated significantly greater tumor burden compared to the tumor burden generated by control untreated cells. In this report we looked at the mechanisms of the enrichment of CSC-like residual cells in response to paclitaxel treatment. Methods: The mechanism of survival of paclitaxel-treated residual cells at a growth inhibitory concentration of 50% (GI50) was determined on isolated tumor cells from the ascites of recurrent ovarian cancer patients and HEY ovarian cancer cell line by in vitro assays and in a mouse xenograft model. Results: Treatment of isolated tumor cells from the ascites of ovarian cancer patients and HEY ovarian cancer cell line with paclitaxel resulted in a CSC-like residual population which coincided with the activation of Janus activated kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway in paclitaxel surviving cells. Both paclitaxel-induced JAK2/STAT3 activation and CSC-like characteristics were inhibited by a low dose JAK2-specific small molecule inhibitor CYT387 (1 μM) in vitro. Subsequent, in vivo transplantation of paclitaxel and CYT387-treated HEY cells in mice resulted in a significantly reduced tumor burden compared to that seen with paclitaxel only-treated transplanted cells. In vitro analysis of tumor xenografts at protein and mRNA levels demonstrated a loss of CSC-like markers and CA125 expression in paclitaxel and CYT387-treated cell-derived xenografts, compared to paclitaxel only-treated cell-derived xenografts. These results were consistent with significantly reduced activation of JAK2 and STAT3 in paclitaxel and CYT387-treated cell-derived xenografts compared to paclitaxel only-treated cell derived xenografts. Conclusions: This proof of principle study demonstrates that inhibition of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway by the addition of CYT387 suppresses the 'stemness' profile in chemotherapy-treated residual cells in vitro, which is replicated in vivo, leading to a reduced tumor burden. These findings have important implications for ovarian cancer patients who are treated with taxane and/or platinum-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cell line models have proven to be effective tools to investigate a variety of ovarian cancer features. Due to the limited number of cell lines, particularly of the serous subtype, the heterogeneity of the disease, and the lack of cell lines that model disease progression, there is a need to further develop cell line resources available for research. This study describes nine cell lines derived from three ovarian cancer cases that were established at initial diagnosis and at subsequent relapse after chemotherapy. Methods: The cell lines from three women diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (1369, 2295 and 3133) were derived from solid tumor (TOV) and ascites (OV), at specific time points at diagnosis and relapse (R). Primary treatment was a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin (1369, 3133), or cisplatin/topotecan (2295). Second line treatment included doxorubicin, gemcitabine and topotecan. In addition to molecular characterization (p53, HER2), the cell lines were characterized based on cell growth characteristics including spheroid growth, migration potential, and anchorage independence. The in vivo tumorigenicity potential of the cell lines was measured. Response to paclitaxel and carboplatin was assessed using a clonogenic assay. Results: All cell lines had either a nonsense or missense TP53 mutations. The ability to form compact spheroids or aggregates was observed in six of nine cell lines. Limited ability for migration and anchorage independence was observed. The OV3133(R) cell line, formed tumors at subcutaneous sites in SCID mice. Based on IC50 values and dose response curves, there was clear evidence of acquired resistance to carboplatin for TOV2295(R) and OV2295 (R2) cell lines. Conclusion: The study identified nine new high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines, derived before and after chemotherapy that provides a unique resource for investigating the evolution of this common histopathological subtype of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]