Buttarelli Marianna, De Donato Marta, Raspaglio Giuseppina, Babini Gabriele, Ciucci Alessandra, Martinelli Enrica, Baccaro Pina, Pasciuto Tina, Fagotti Anna, Scambia Giovanni, Gallo Daniela
Unit of Translational Medicine for Woman and Child Health, Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 00168 Rome, Italy.
Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Section of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2020 Apr 14;12(4):966. doi: 10.3390/cancers12040966.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as regulators in cancer development and progression, and aberrant lncRNA profiles have been reported in several cancers. Here, we evaluated the potential of using the maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) tissue level as a prognostic marker in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), the most common and deadliest gynecologic malignancy. To the aim of the study, we measured MEG3 transcript levels in 90 pre-treatment peritoneal biopsies. We also investigated MEG3 function in ovarian cancer biology. We found that high MEG3 expression was independently associated with better progression-free ( = 0.002) and overall survival ( = 0.01). In vitro and in vivo preclinical studies supported a role for MEG3 as a tumor suppressor in HGSOC, possibly through modulation of the phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) network. Overall, results from this study demonstrated that decreased MEG3 is a hallmark for malignancy and tumor progression in HGSOC.
长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）正逐渐成为癌症发生和发展的调节因子，并且在几种癌症中都报道了异常的lncRNA谱。在此，我们评估了将母系表达基因3（MEG3）的组织水平用作高级别浆液性卵巢癌（HGSOC）（最常见且最致命的妇科恶性肿瘤）预后标志物的潜力。为了实现该研究目标，我们测量了90份治疗前腹膜活检组织中的MEG3转录水平。我们还研究了MEG3在卵巢癌生物学中的功能。我们发现，MEG3高表达与更好的无进展生存期（P = 0.002）和总生存期（P = 0.01）独立相关。体外和体内临床前研究支持MEG3作为HGSOC中的肿瘤抑制因子发挥作用，可能是通过调节磷酸酶和张力蛋白同源物（PTEN）网络来实现的。总体而言，这项研究的结果表明，MEG3降低是HGSOC恶性肿瘤和肿瘤进展的一个标志。
