CD73 is associated with poor prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Abstract

The cell surface nucleotidase CD73 is an immunosuppressive enzyme involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Although preclinical studies suggest that CD73 can be targeted for cancer treatment, the clinical impact of CD73 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of CD73 in high-grade serous (HGS) ovarian cancer using gene and protein expression analyses. Our results demonstrate that high levels of CD73 are significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with HGS ovarian cancer. Furthermore, high levels of CD73 expression in ovarian tumor cells abolished the good prognosis associated with intraepithelial CD8(+) cells. Notably, CD73 gene expression was highest in the C1/stromal molecular subtype of HGS ovarian cancer and positively correlated with an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition gene signature. Moreover, in vitro studies revealed that CD73 and extracellular adenosine enhance ovarian tumor cell growth as well as expression of antiapoptotic BCL-2 family members. Finally, in vivo coinjection of ID8 mouse ovarian tumor cells with mouse embryonic fibroblasts showed that CD73 expression in fibroblasts promotes tumor immune escape and thereby tumor growth. In conclusion, our study highlights a role for CD73 as a prognostic marker of patient survival and also as a candidate therapeutic target in HGS ovarian cancers.

• Authors: Martin Turcotte, Kathleen Spring, Sandra Pommey, Guillaume Chouinard, Isabelle Cousineau, Joshy George, Gregory M Chen, Deena M A Gendoo, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, Thomas Karn, Kurosh Rahimi, Cécile Le Page, Diane Provencher, Anne-Marie Mes-Masson, John Stagg
• Journal: Cancer research (Cancer Res) Vol. 75 Issue 21 Pg. 4494-503 (Nov 01 2015) ISSN: 1538-7445 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26363007 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

Chemical References

• Antigens, CD
• Biomarkers, Tumor
• GPI-Linked Proteins
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
• RNA, Small Interfering
• 5'-Nucleotidase
• NT5E protein, human
• Apyrase
• CD39 antigen

Topics

• 5'-Nucleotidase (genetics, metabolism)
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Animals
• Antigens, CD (metabolism)
• Apyrase (metabolism)
• Biomarkers, Tumor (genetics, metabolism)
• Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation (genetics)
• Disease-Free Survival
• Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (genetics)
• Female
• Fibroblasts (metabolism)
• GPI-Linked Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mice, Knockout
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial (metabolism, mortality, pathology)
• Ovarian Neoplasms (metabolism, mortality, pathology)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 (metabolism)
• RNA Interference
• RNA, Small Interfering
• Tumor Escape (immunology)