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Overexpression of Serine Proteases in Ovarian Cancer

Overexpression of Serine Proteases in Ovarian Cancer. Figure 1. Female reproductive organs [Campbell, 1998]. Shelley Campeau Cellular and Developmental Biology Major University of California at Santa Barbara. Topics. • Overview of Ovarian Cancer.

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Overexpression of Serine Proteases in Ovarian Cancer

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  1. Overexpression of Serine Proteases in Ovarian Cancer Figure 1. Female reproductive organs [Campbell, 1998]. Shelley Campeau Cellular and Developmental Biology Major University of California at Santa Barbara

  2. Topics • Overview of Ovarian Cancer • Role of Serine Proteases in Ovarian Tumor Growth • Two Experiments Showing Serine Protease Expression in Ovarian Cancer

  3. Why Study Serine Proteases?  Allows growth and spread of ovarian cancer. • Produced early in tumor formation and can be detected early. • Inhibiting serine proteases may possibly stop ovarian tumor formation.

  4. Overview: Ovarian Cancer Definition:Cancer that forms in the cells surrounding the ovaries. Figure 2. Stains of a normal ovary and an ovarian tumor for serine proteases [Underwood, 2000]. • 5 year survival rate for women with ovarian cancer is below 50%

  5. How Ovarian Cancer Invades: Initiates development around ovaries. Tumor cells can break off and spread to other sites. Secondary tumors can form. Figure 3. Metastasis and the spreading of cancer [McKinnell, 1998].

  6. Role of Serine Proteases: What are they? Enzymes involved in the breakdown of proteins in extracellular compartments. Function in tumor growth: Breakdown extracellular components surrounding ovaries  Allows tumor cells to rapidly divide  Tumor cells can break off and travel to different locations to spread cancer

  7. Serine Proteases:Potential for Diagnosis and Treatment If: Normal cells Serine Proteases +  Tumor cell growth and progression of cancer. Then: PREVENT TUMOR GROWTH!  + Inhibited Serine Proteases Normal cells

  8. Experiment 1:Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Process:  Amplify serine protease gene from ovarian tumor and normal ovary tissue.  Separate products obtained from experiment based on size.  Look for band size of serine protease expression: 180bp Figure 4. PCR for a serine protease. Normal ovary in left lane, ovarian tumor in right lane [Underwood, 2000]. Results: Band size of serine protease expression is found in ovarian cancer tissue but not in normal ovary tissue.

  9. Experiment 2:Northern Blot Analyses Process:  Separates RNA fragments of a tissue sample based on size.  A probe for a specific region of RNA hybridizes to the corresponding fragment. TADG Testisin Figure 5. Northern blot analyses of serine proteases: TADG [Underwood, 2000] and Testisin [Shigemasa,2000]. Results: Bands found in ovarian cancer tissue and not in significant levels in normal ovary tissue.

  10. Conclusion  Serine proteases aid in the development of ovarian cancer.  Used as a tumor marker, serine proteases may be used to help identify cancer before it is too late.

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