title: Interferon-stimulated gene, 15 kDa (ISG15) in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma: prognostic impact and link to NF-κB pathway.
abstract: The ubiquitin-like protein interferon-stimulated gene, 15 kDa (ISG15) plays an ambiguous role in the progression and response to chemotherapy of solid cancers. We aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of ISG15 and its link to the nuclear factor κB pathway in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry was performed in a cohort of 128 primary ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas treated with standard surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy using tissue microarrays. In addition, 28 matched relapsed carcinomas were investigated. ISG15 protein expression was significantly increased in relapsed carcinomas as compared to primary tumors (P=0.027). In primary carcinoma, ISG15 was positively associated with total inhibitor of κB α (IκBα) (P=0.001) as well as nuclear and cytoplasmic phospho-IκBα (p-IκBα) expression (P=0.039 and P=0.002, respectively). Patients with ISG15-positive carcinomas had a significantly longer overall survival in univariate analysis (P=0.002), and in multivariate analysis [hazard ratio=0.35 (95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.84, P=0.019)]. ISG15 is a potential prognostic marker in high-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary. Its impact on survival might be explained by its tight link to the nuclear factor κB pathway, and the further evaluation of the interplay between ISGylation machinery and nuclear factor κB, particularly with regard to response to chemotherapy, would be desirable.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology (S.D.-E., B.V.S., M.R., M.D., C.D.) Department of Gynecology (J.S., I.B.), Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darb-Esfahani
authors.forename: Bruno V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Sinn
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rudl
authors.forename: Jalid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sehouli
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Braicu
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dietel
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Denkert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D018284:Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014452:Ubiquitins; C074034:ISG15 protein, human