Expression Of Skp2 And P21 In Epithelial Ovarian Tumors Correlation With The Clinico-pathologic Characteristics

Objective: Skp2, a member of F-box protein family, can specificallyrecognize, and accelerate the ubiquitin-mediated degradationof several key regulators of G₁ phase progression. The aim ofthis study was to investigate the expression of Skp2 and p21and their association with clinico-pathologic characteristicsin epithelial ovarian tumors, in order to find out if there issome correlation between these two proteins and if theycooperate to induce carcinogenesis. We also hoped to findout if they will be regarded as two effective diagnosticindictors for preventing the ovarian cancer.Methods: Skp2 and p21 protein expression was examined byimmunohistochemistry in 78 epithelial ovarian tumors (6cases of adenomas, 10 cases of tumors of borderline, and 60adenocarcinomas). All statistical analyses were performed byusing SPSS software 12.0.Result: 1 Positive rates of Skp2 in ovarian adenoma, borderlineadenoma, and ovarian adenocarcinoma were 0, 0, and46.7%(28 of 60) respectively; expression level of Skp2 inovarian adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than those inovarian adenoma(p＜0.01), and bordline adenoma(p＜0.01 ).2 Positive rates of p21 in ovarian adenoma, borderlineadenoma, and ovarian adenocarcinoma were 87.5%(7/8),60%(6/10), 35%(21/60) respectively; expression level of p21in ovarian adenocarcinoma was significantly lower thanthose in ovarian adenoma(p＜0.01) and bordline borderlineadenoma(p＜0.01).3 Moreover, the expression levels of Skp2 and p21 wereindependent of age and histological type, but significantlyassociated with pathologic grade, clinical stage, and positivelymph node metastasis of ovarian adenocarcinoma.4 Besides, Spearman correlation analysis indicated that expression level of p21 was moderately inversely correlatedwith that of Skp2(r=-0.322, p＜0.01).Conclusions: 1 Up-regulation of Skp2 may be related withdown-regulation of p21 in ovarian cancer, might playan important role in the development and prognosisof epithelial ovarian tumors.2 There is negative correlation between Skp2 and p21in epithelial ovarian tumors.3 The levels of expression of Skp2 and p21 would beuseful marker of of ovarian adenocarcinoma patients.