Correlation between eIF3a and HE4 expression and ovarian cancer

Abstract

To investigate the correlation between eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3, subunit A (eIF3a) and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) expression and ovarian cancer. RT-PCR or immunohistochemistry was used to examine eIF3a and HE4 mRNA or protein expression in ovarian tissues from patients with ovarian cancer (n=181) or benign ovarian tumors, or from the healthy women. There were significant differences in mRNA and protein expression of eIF3a and HE4 among normal ovarian tissues, benign ovarian tumor tissues, and ovarian cancer tissues (P< 0.05). There were significant differences in mRNA expression of eIF3a and HE4 between the normal tissues and the ovarian cancer tissues, or between the benign ovarian tumor tissues and the normal tissues (P< 0.001). The mRNA expression of eIF3a in the normal ovarian tissues was significantly higher than that in the benign ovarian tumor tissues or that in the ovarian cancer tissues. The mRNA expression of HE4 was gradually increased from the normal ovarian tissues, the benign ovarian tumor tissues to the ovarian cancer tissues. The mRNA expression of HE4 in the ovarian cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in the benign ovarian tumor tissues (P< 0.001). Positive expression rates for eIF3a or HE4 protein in normal, benign tumor, and cancer tissues were 0, 66.7%, and 81.0% or 0, 27.8%, and 56.2%, respectively. There were significant differences in positive expression rates of eIF3a protein and HE4 protein between the ovarian tumor tissues and benign ovarian tumor tissues, between the ovarian cancer tissues and the normal ovarian tissues, or between the benign ovarian tumor tissues and the normal ovarian tissues (P< 0.001). The eIF3a protein expression was positively correlated with HE4 protein expression (r=0.575, P< 0.05). The expressions of eIF3a and HE4 are associated with ovarian cancer, and extracellular regulated protein kinases may play a role in the interaction between eIF3a and HE4.