The zinc finger gene ZIC2 has features of an oncogene and its over- expression correlates strongly with the clinical course of epithelial ovarian cancer
Menée sur des échantillons tumoraux et des lignées cellulaires, cette étude suggère que le niveau d'expression du gène ZIC2, un facteur de transcription lié à la voie de signalisation sonic hedgehog, permet d'identifier les tumeurs bénignes et malignes de l'épithélium ovarien
Purpose: Epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs) are amongst the most lethal of malignancies in women. We have previously identified ZIC2 as expressed at a higher level in samples of a malignant form (MAL) of EOT than in samples of a form with low malignant potential (LMP). We have now investigated the role of ZIC2 in driving tumor growth and its association with clinical outcomes. Experimental Design: ZIC2 expression levels were analysed in two independent tumor tissue collections of LMP and MAL. In vitro experiments aimed to test the role of ZIC2 as a transforming gene. Cox models were used to correlate ZIC2 expression with clinical endpoints. Results: ZIC2 expression was about 40-fold in terms of mRNA and about 17-fold in terms of protein in MAL (n = 193) versus LMP (n = 39) tumors. ZIC2 mRNA levels were high in MAL cell lines, but undetectable in LMP cell lines. Over-expression of ZIC2 was localized to the nucleus. ZIC2 over-expression increases the growth rate and foci formation of NIH 3T3 cells, and stimulates anchorage-independent colony formation; down-regulation of ZIC2 decreases the growth rate of MAL cell lines. Zinc finger domains 1 and 2 are required for transforming activity. In stage I MAL ZIC2 expression was significantly associated with overall survival in both univariate (p = 0.046), and multivariate model (p = 0.049). Conclusions: ZIC2, a transcription factor related to the sonic hedgehog pathway, is a strong discriminant between MAL and LMP tumors: it may be a major determinant of outcome of EOT.
Clinical Cancer Research , résumé, 2012