Prostasin, a potential tumor marker in ovarian cancer--a pilot study.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Ovarian cancer is generally diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease; therefore, poor prognoses are typical. The development of tumor markers is thus of utmost importance. Prostasin is a protease that in normal tissues is highly expressed only in the prostate gland and seminal fluid. A previous study showed that prostasin is highly overexpressed in ovarian cancer cell lines. This study sought to evaluate the expression of prostasin in ovarian cancer.

METHODS:

Fresh tumor samples of ovarian epithelial cancer (n: 12) were analyzed for expression of prostasin mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) by conventional and real time quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction). As a standard control, a normal prostate sample was analyzed.

RESULTS:

Using conventional PCR, prostasin was detected in all but one sample. Using quantitative PCR, prostasin was over-expressed in all but one of the samples as compared to the control (prostate).

CONCLUSIONS:

These findings indicate that prostasin is overexpressed in many epithelial ovarian cancers. Further studies of prostasin as a potential biomarker for this disease are warranted.

• Authors: Fernanda Pires Costa, Eraldo Luis Batista Jr, Alice Zelmanowicz, Christer Svedman, Gabriela Devenz, Silvana Alves, Andrea Simões Martins da Silva, Bernardo Garicochea
• Journal: Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (Clinics (Sao Paulo)) Vol. 64 Issue 7 Pg. 641-4 ( 2009) ISSN: 1980-5322 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19606239 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Neoplasm Proteins
• Serine Endopeptidases
• prostasin

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biomarkers, Tumor (blood)
• Female
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Mass Screening (methods)
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Proteins (blood)
• Ovarian Neoplasms (diagnosis, enzymology)
• Pilot Projects
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Serine Endopeptidases (blood)