Abstract
Beclin 1 is an autophagy-associated protein involved in apoptosis and drug resistance, as well as various malignancies. We investigated the expression of Beclin 1 protein in ovarian epithelial tissues and correlated it with the prognosis of ovarian cancer. Beclin 1 protein expression was determined using immunohistochemistry in 148 patients with ovarian epithelial cancer, 26 with ovarian borderline tumor, 25 with benign ovarian tumor, and 30 with normal ovarian tissue. The relationships between Beclin 1 protein expression and ovarian cancer pathological characteristics were analyzed. The risk factors for ovarian cancer prognosis were analyzed using Cox’s regression model. A survival curve was plotted from the follow-up data of 93 patients with ovarian cancer to analyze the effects of Beclin 1 expression on the prognosis of ovarian cancer. The positive rates of Beclin 1 were significantly higher in ovarian epithelial cancer (148) and borderline tumor (26) than in benign ovarian tumor (25) or normal ovarian tissue (30) (all p < 0.001). The surgical stage and Beclin 1 expression were both independent risk factors for ovarian cancer prognosis (both p < 0.05). Patients with high Beclin 1 levels showed better survival than those with low Beclin 1 levels (p = 0.009). Beclin 1 protein is upregulated in ovarian epithelial cancer and is a prognostic factor of ovarian cancer.
Highlights
The mammalian BECN1 gene is homologous to the yeast ATG6 and is located at chromosome17q21 in humans
We investigated the relationship between the level of Beclin 1 expression and prognosis in ovarian cancer
The positive rates of Beclin 1 were significantly higher in ovarian epithelial cancer and borderline tumor than in benign ovarian tumor or normal ovarian tissue
Summary
The mammalian BECN1 gene is homologous to the yeast ATG6 and is located at chromosome17q21 in humans. Liang et al found that overexpression of BECN1 gene in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line reversed malignant phenotype and inhibited cell proliferation by enhancing autophagy. They showed that MCF-7 cells overexpressing Beclin 1 had a reduced capacity to form tumors in nude mice [2]. Yue reported that BECN1+/− nude mice showed reduced autophagic activity and an increased incidence of spontaneous tumors, including lymphoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma [3]. These results indicate that suppressive autophagy contributes to tumorigenesis
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