The differential expression of miRNAs between ovarian endometrioma and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer

Natsuho Nakamura, Yoshito Terai, Misa Nunode, Kana Kokunai, Hiromi Konishi, Sayaka Taga, Mayumi Nakamura, Masae Yoo, Masami Hayashi, Yoshiki Yamashita, Masahide Ohmichi
Journal of ovarian research · 2020 · vol. 13(1) , pp. 51 · doi:10.1186/s13048-020-00652-5 · PMID:32359364 · PMC7196233 · W3023042281
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 2 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study found that miR-486-5p is upregulated in ovarian endometrioma and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, promoting cell proliferation and migration, and potentially serving as a biomarker.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study compared microRNA expression between serum and ascites from ovarian endometrioma patients and patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, using miRNA microarray profiling in five endometrioma and five EAOC cases, followed by qRT-PCR validation of five miRNAs. The main finding was that miR-486-5p was significantly higher in serum and ascites from EAOC than from endometrioma, and that miR-486-5p levels correlated with the severity of endometriosis. In immortalized ovarian endometrioma epithelial cells, increasing miR-486-5p enhanced proliferation and migration, whereas downregulating it reduced these behaviors. A major caveat is the small number of cases used for the initial microarray profiling (10 total) and the focus on miR-486-5p function in one immortalized cell model. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it specifically studies endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer versus ovarian endometrioma and identifies miR-486-5p as linked to EAOC-related progression and endometriosis severity.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated to play a vital role in development, differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, which miRNAs are actually associated with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer remains controversial. METHODS: Serum and ascites samples were obtained from all patients. Serum samples from 5 cases of ovarian endometrioma and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer each were submitted for comprehensive miRNA microarray profiling. We investigated the differential expression of miRNAs between the two groups to confirm the pivotal role of miRNAs. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction validation of five selected miRNAs [miR-92a-3p, miR-486-5p, miR-4484, miR-6821-5p, and miR-7108-5p] was performed, and miR-486-5p expression analysis was followed by proliferation and wound healing assays, depending on the expression of miR-486-5p. RESULT: miR-486-5p expression in serum and ascites samples from endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer patients was significantly higher than that from ovarian endometrioma patients. Moreover, the miR-486-5p level in serum and ascites samples was significantly correlated with the severity of the endometriosis. The upregulation of miR-486-5p in immortalized ovarian endometrioma cells significantly increased proliferation and migration. In contrast, the downregulation of miR-486-5p in these cells significantly decreased proliferation and migration. CONCLUSION: miR-486-5p might function as an oncogenic miRNA in endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer and could be a noninvasive biomarker to prospect the severity of ovarian endometrioma.

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Condition tags

endometriosisendometrioma

MeSH descriptors

Ascites Biomarkers, Tumor Endometriosis MicroRNAs MicroRNAs Ovarian Neoplasms Adult Ascites Biomarkers, Tumor Cell Line Cell Proliferation Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Middle Aged Ovarian Neoplasms Ovarian Neoplasms Ovarian Neoplasms

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