Prostasin, a potential tumor marker in ovarian cancer--a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
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.
Costa
Fernanda Pires
FP
Oncology Unit, Hospital São Lucas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil. fernanda.costa@yahoo.se
Batista
Eraldo Luis
EL
Zelmanowicz
Alice
A
Svedman
Christer
C
Devenz
Gabriela
G
Alves
Silvana
S
Silva
Andrea Simões Martins da
AS
Garicochea
Bernardo
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D000099271:Prostasin
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D000099271:Prostasin