title: Expression and function of HOXA genes in normal and neoplastic ovarian epithelial cells.
abstract: We studied the roles of three HOXA genes in cultured normal ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells and ovarian cancer cells. They included HOXA4 and HOXA7 because, by cDNA microarray analysis, these were more highly expressed in invasive ovarian carcinomas than in benign or borderline (noninvasive) ovarian tumors, and HOXA9 because it characterizes normal oviductal epithelium, which resembles ovarian serous adenocarcinomas. The three HOXA genes were more highly expressed when OSE cells were dividing and motile than when they were confluent and stationary, and also when they dispersed in response to EGF treatment or to reduced calcium concentrations in culture media. The expression of the HOXA genes varied among ovarian cancer cell lines, but was highest in lines with compact epithelial morphologies. We focused on HOXA4 as the most highly expressed in the ovarian carcinoma array. HOXA4 expression did not parallel proliferative activities of either OSE or ovarian cancer lines. Moreover, modifying HOXA4 expression in ovarian cancer cell lines did not alter either E-cadherin expression or CA125 secretion. However, HOXA4 downregulation enhanced EGFR phosphorylation and migration in serum-starved OSE and ovarian cancer cells in response to EGF, and enhanced migration of all ovarian cancer lines in 5% serum even without EGF treatment. Thus, HOXA4 expression does not correlate with proliferation or with epithelial differentiation, but it increases in response to OSE cell dispersion and negatively regulates EGFR activation and the motility of OSE and of ovarian cancer cells. HOXA4 expression was highest in cancer lines with compact epithelial growth patterns, suggesting, again, an anti-dispersion function. In summary, increased HOXA4 expression in ovarian cancer appears to constitute a tumor-suppressive, homeostatic response to aberrant cell behavior, and, in particular, to cell dispersion and migration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2H30-4490 Oak St., B.C. Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3V5.
authors.forename: Takayo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klausen
authors.forename: M Clara
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Salamanca
authors.forename: Henry L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Peter C K
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Auersperg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012015:Reference Standards; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C088144:HoxA protein