Effect of Twist on Epithelial-mesenchymal Transitions in Ovarian Cancer Tissue

Objective To observe the expression of Twist,E-cadherin and N-cadherin in ovarian cancer tissue and investigate the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions(EMT) in metastasis of ovarian cancer.Methods The expression of Twist,E-cadherin and N-cadherin proteins and their mRNA in 42 ovarian cancer cases was detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR,and 30 cases of ovarian benign tumor were selected as control group.Results The positive expression rates of Twist,E-cadherin and N-cadherin proteins in ovarian cancer tissue were 66.7%,28.6% and 47.6% respectively,whereas in the control group the positive expression rates were 26.7%,90.0% and 13.3%;The expression levels of Twist,E-cadherin and N-cadherin mRNA were 1.49±0.53,0.82±0.24 and 1.55±0.56,whereas in the control group the expression levels were 1.18±0.34,1.09±0.20 and 1.18±0.35.There was statistical difference between the two groups(P 0.05).Conclusion The expression levels of Twist and N-cadherin are upregulated,and the expression level of E-cadherin is downregulated.The role of Twist in EMT-mediated invasiveness may be related to metastasis and progression of ovarian cancer.