VSGP/F-Spondin: A New Ovarian Cancer Marker

Vol. 26, No. 5, 2005

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Research Article

VSGP/F-Spondin: A New Ovarian Cancer Marker
Ruth A. Pyle-Chenault^a, John A. Stolk^a, David A. Molesh^b, Dianne Boyle-Harlan^a, Patricia D. McNeill^a, Elizabeth A. Repasky^c, Zhong Jiang^d, Gary R. Fanger^a, Jiangchun Xu^e

^aCorixa Corporation, Seattle, Wash.,
^bCorixa Corporation, Hamilton, Mont.,
^cDepartment of Immunology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, N.Y.,
^dDepartment of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass., and
^eAmgen Washington, Seattle, Wash., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Tumor Biol 2005;26:245-257 (DOI: 10.1159/000087379)

Key Words

Ovarian cancer
Microarray
Quantitative PCR
Tumor marker

Abstract

The discovery of genes that are overexpressed in ovarian cancers provides valuable insight into ovarian cancer biology and will lead to the development of more effective treatment strategies for combating this disease. To identify genes exhibiting ovarian- and ovarian cancer-specific expression, we generated four subtracted cDNA libraries from primary and metastatic ovarian adenocarcinoma tissues. 3,400 cDNA clones from these libraries were analyzed by microarray for tissue distribution and tumor specificity using 32 pairs of fluorophore-labeled cDNA samples from a variety of normal tissues and ovarian tumor tissues. cDNA clones showing elevated expression in ovarian tumors were identified by DNA sequencing with comparison to public databases, and the most promising candidates were further analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot. This systematic approach led to the identification of a number of genes including vascular smooth muscle growth-promoting factor (VSGP/F-spondin), a secreted protein previously identified and cloned from bovine and human ovary. VSGP/F-spondin protein was observed in ovarian carcinomas but not in normal ovarian epithelium by immunohistochemistry with a VSGP/F-spondin antibody. The expression profile of VSGP/F-spondin identifies this molecule as a potential diagnostic marker or target for developing therapeutic strategies to treat ovarian carcinoma.

Author Contacts

Ruth A. Pyle-Chenault
Corixa Corporation
1900 9th Avenue, Suite 1100
Seattle, WA 98101 (USA)
Tel. +1 206 366 3616, Fax +1 206 366 4813, E-Mail ruth.pyle@corixa.com

Article Information

Ruth A. Pyle-Chenault and John A. Stolk contributed equally to this work.

Received: March 13, 2005
Accepted after revision: April 22, 2005
Published online: August 9, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 13
Number of Figures : 4, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 32

Medline Abstract (ID 16103746)

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