Potential role of the HOXD8 transcription factor in cisplatin resistance and tumour metastasis in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer

Few studies have examined the potential transcription factor (TF) simultaneously associated with cisplatin resistance and metastasis in ovarian cancer. To assess a related mechanism, a 345-channel protein/DNA array and transcriptional activity ELISA were performed to compare the TF activities in the cisplatin-sensitive SKOV3 and cisplatin-resistant SKOV3-DDP cells and in HO-8910 and the homologous highly metastatic HO-8910PM cells. In SKOV3-DDP vs. SKOV3 cells, 43 TFs were up-regulated, while 31 were down-regulated. In HO-8910PM vs. HO-8910 cells, 13 TFs were up-regulated, while 18 were down-regulated. In these two models, 4 TFs (HOXD8(1), HOXD8(2), RB, RFX1/2/3) were simultaneously up-regulated, and 9 TFs (SRE, FKHR, Angiotensinogen ANG-IRE, Pax2, CD28RC/NF-IL2B, HLF, CPE, CBFB and c-Ets-1) were down-regulated. HOXD8 mRNA and protein expression levels measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively, were significantly higher in SKOV3-DDP and HO-8910PM than in their corresponding cell lines (both p < 0.05). In 52 cases of different ovarian disease, the patients with recurrent and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer had higher expression levels of HOXD8 than patients with primary malignant tumours (p = 0.018, p = 0.001) or benign tumours (p = 0.001, p < 0.001). Taken together, these results suggest that HOXD8 is potentially associated with both cisplatin resistance and metastasis in advanced ovarian cancer.