title: Splice variants of zinc finger protein 695 mRNA associated to ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies of alternative mRNA splicing (AS) in health and disease have yet to yield the complete picture of protein diversity and its role in physiology and pathology. Some forms of cancer appear to be associated to certain alternative mRNA splice variants, but their role in the cancer development and outcome is unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined AS profiles by means of whole genome exon expression microarrays (Affymetrix GeneChip 1.0) in ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer-derived cell lines, compared to healthy ovarian tissue. Alternatively spliced genes expressed predominantly in ovarian tumors and cell lines were confirmed by RT-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among several significantly overexpressed AS genes in malignant ovarian tumors and ovarian cancer cell lines, the most significant one was that of the zinc finger protein ZNF695, with two previously unknown mRNA splice variants identified in ovarian tumors and cell lines. The identity of ZNF695 AS variants was confirmed by cloning and sequencing of the amplicons obtained from ovarian cancer tissue and cell lines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alternative ZNF695 mRNA splicing could be a marker of ovarian cancer with possible implications on its pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Mexican Faculty of Medicine, Universidad La Salle, Mexico City, Mexico. vazquezortizg@niiddk.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Juárez-Méndez
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zentella-Dehesa
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villegas-Ruíz
authors.forename: Oscar Alberto
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Pérez-González
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salcedo
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: López-Romero
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Román-Basaure
authors.forename: Minerva
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lazos-Ochoa
authors.forename: Víctor Edén
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Montes de Oca-Fuentes
authors.forename: Guelaguetza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Ortiz
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreno