Further analysis confirmed that MAGP2 expression was elevated in another group of malignant ovarian tumors but not in normal tissue. The gene's expression was also reduced in patients whose tumors responded to chemotherapy. Recombinant expression of MAGP2 in samples of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels caused the cells to migrate and invade other tissues, which combined with the observation that MAGP2-rich tumors have increased microvessel density suggests a potential role for the protein in the growth of a tumor's blood supply.

"By confirming that different ovarian tumors have distinctive gene signatures that can predict patient prognosis, this study marks the beginning of individualized care for ovarian cancer," says Birrer, a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "MAGP2 and the biochemical pathways it contributes to are definitely targets for new types of therapies, and we plan to pursue several strategies to interfere with tumor-associated pathways. But first we need to validate these findings in samples from patients treated in clinical trials."

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital