Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal B-Cell Translocation Gene 2 as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the most common and aggressive type of tumor of the female reproductive system. Two factors account for this detrimental clinical presentation: (i) the lack of early detection methods and (ii) the inherently aggressive nature of this malignancy. Currently, transcriptomic analyses have become important tools to identify new targets in different cancer types. In this study, by measuring expression levels in ovarian cancer samples and stem cell samples, we identified 24 tumor suppressor genes consistently associated with poor prognosis. Combined results further revealed a potential therapeutic candidate, BTG2, which belongs to the antiproliferative gene family. Our results showed that BTG2 expression regulated ovarian cancer cell proliferation via G1/S phase cell cycle arrest by regulating Cyclin D1, CDK4, p-AKT, and p-ERK expression. BTG2 also inhibited cell migration by modulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. Furthermore, xenograft models confirmed a growth inhibitory effect of BTG2 in ovarian cancer in vivo. BTG2 was significantly associated with ovarian cancer FIGO stage and grade in the clinic. Our findings indicated that BTG2 exerts a suppressive impact on ovarian cancer and could be a potential biomarker.