E2F5 Promotes the Malignancy of Ovarian Cancer Via the Regulation of Hippo and Wnt Pathways

Abstract

Background: E2F5 is a transcription factor that is overexpressed in the early stages of ovarian cancer and has been suggested as a potential biomarker for early detection. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of E2F5 in invasion and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells.

Materials and Methods: We performed cell viability, colony formation, and invasion assays using ovarian cancer cells treated with siRNA to knock down the E2F5 gene. The regulatory effects of E2F5 on proteins involved in the apoptotic, Wnt, Hippo, and retinoblastoma signaling pathways were evaluated by western blotting following E2F5 repression. In addition, we analyzed data available on Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis for correlations between E2F5 and YAP, b-catenin, cyclin D1, cdk4, and caspase-9.

Results: E2F5 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer cell lines and samples when compared to the nonmalignant tissues. Downregulation of E2F5 inhibited cell viability and invasion and promoted the phosphorylation of YAP, GSK-3-b, b-catenin, and retinoblastoma. However, cyclin D1, cdk4, and caspase-9 were downregulated when compared to control.

Conclusion: Overall, E2F5 promotes ovarian carcinogenesis via the regulation of Hippo and Wnt pathways.