title: Elevated RON protein expression in endometriosis and disease-associated ovarian cancers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recepteur d'origine nantais (RON) protein expression has been demonstrated to correlate with tumor progression, metastasis, and prognosis, and its mRNA expression increases in deeply infiltrating endometriotic lesions. However, it remains unclear whether RON protein expression also increases in endometriotic lesions, and may be a risk factor of malignant transformation in endometriotic lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The protein expression of RON in control (n = 19), eutopic (n = 16), and ectopic (n = 51) endometria, as well as in endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers (EAOC, n = 16) was determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Endometriotic lesions expressed low levels of RON protein, but no RON protein expression appeared in matched eutopic or control endometrium. EAOC exhibited high levels of RON protein. The frequency and IHC score of RON protein expression were both significantly higher in EAOC [100.0% (14/14), 5.37 ± 0.74] than those in endometriotic lesions [51.0% (26/51), 2.15 ± 1.12; P = 0.002, 0.001]. Multivariate analysis of covariance only revealed a correlation of RON protein expression and EAOC (P = 0.006), but no correlations of RON protein expression and clinical parameters (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These obtained results suggest that increased RON expression might be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and disease-associated ovarian cancers.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shaojie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiufeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: The Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310006, People's Republic of China. zxm20130729@163.com.
authors.forename: Xinmei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000209:etiology; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: C080835:RON protein; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: Endometriosis; Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers (EAOC); Endometrium; Immunohistochemistry; Recepteur d’origine nantais (RON)