BCL2A1 plays a biphasic role in ovarian cancer progression: promoting cell survival and inhibiting cell proliferation

Abstract

Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies in women. The high mortality rate of this disease is due to that most patients are diagnosed in advanced stages accompanied with extensive metastasis, which accounts for over 90% deaths of the patients. Given cancer cell adaptation to the hypoxic microenvironment plays a central role in malignant metastasis and progression, tumor hypoxia might well be considered the most promising target that has yet to be exploited as an alternative therapy for this cancer. Objectives: Our previous cDNA microarray profiling using ovarian cancer cells treated with hypoxia has identified BCL2A1, a member of BCL2 family, was strongly induced. In this current study, we aimed at 1)evaluating the expression status of BCL2A1 in ovarian cancer cells treated with various physiological stresses; 2) examining the functional impact of BCL2A1 in ovarian cancer cell aggressiveness.