Effect of bFGF on invasion of ovarian cancer cells through the regulation of Ets-1 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the role of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in ovarian cancer progression. This was done by investigating the effects of bFGF on both the secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the invasion of tumor cells in SKOV₃ ovarian cancer cells. Human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV₃ was cultured in vitro. The expression of uPA gene and protein was induced in SKOV₃ cells; the impact of bFGF on the expression of uPA gene in SKOV₃ cells was studied by RT-PCR, and the impact of bFGF on the expression of uPA protein was tested by ELISA. Ets-1 antisense oligonucleotides were transfected into SKOV₃ cells by liposome protocol. The effects of bFGF on Ets-1 expression and the invasion ability of SKOV₃ cells were determined both before and after exposure to different concentrations of bFGF for 24 h. The expression of both uPA gene and protein was induced in SKOV₃ cells, p < 0.05. The expression of uPA was suppressed by Ets-1 antisense oligonucleotides in SKOV₃ cells, p < 0.05. The invasion ability of SKOV₃ cells was increased by 2.3-fold, and this effect was also suppressed by Ets-1 antisense oligonucleotides. bFGF can enhance the invasion ability of ovarian cancer cells in vitro by inducing the expression of uPA, and this effect is also regulated by the transcription factor Ets-1.

Keywords::

• Basic fibroblast growth factor
• Ets-1
• invasion
• ovarian carcinoma
• uPA

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.