Background: We previously identified that Ran protein, a member of the Ras GTPase family, is highly expressed in high grade and high stage serous epithelial ovarian cancers, and that its overexpression is associated with a poor prognosis. Ran is known to contribute to both nucleocytoplasmic transport and cell cycle progression, but its role in ovarian cancer is not well defined.Results: Using a lentivirus-based tetracycline-inducible shRNA approach, we show that downregulation of Ran expression in aggressive ovarian cancer cell lines affects cellular proliferation by inducing a caspase-3 associated apoptosis. Using a xenograft tumor assay, we demonstrate that depletion of Ran results in decreased tumorigenesis, and eventual tumor formation is associated with tumor cells that express Ran protein.Conclusion: Our results suggest a role for Ran in ovarian cancer cell survival and tumorigenicity and suggest that this critical GTPase may be suitable as a therapeutic target. © 2010 Barrès et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Barrès, V., Ouellet, V., Lafontaine, J., Tonin, P. N., Provencher, D. M., & Mes-Masson, A. M. (2010). An essential role for Ran GTPase in epithelial ovarian cancer cell survival. Molecular Cancer, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-4598-9-272
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