Background:
Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis revealed that the
FBXW7
gene and the long non-coding RNA (LINC01588) are potential candidates in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) pathogenesis. However, their exact role in EOC is not yet known. Thus, the present study sheds light on the impact of the mutations/ methylation status of the
FBXW7
gene.
Materials and Methods:
We used public databases to assess the correlation between mutations/ methylation status and the
FBXW7
expression. Furthermore, we performed Pearson’s correlation analysis between the
FBXW7
gene and LINC01588. We performed gene panel exome sequencing and Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in HOSE 6-3, MCAS, OVSAHO, and eight EOC patients’ samples to validate the bioinformatics results.
Results:
The
FBXW7
gene was less expressed in EOC, particularly in stages III and IV, compared to healthy tissues. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis, gene panel exome sequencing, and MSP revealed that the
FBXW7
gene is neither mutated nor methylated in EOC cell lines and tissues, suggesting alternative mechanisms for
FBXW7
gene regulation. Interestingly, Pearson’s correlation analysis showed an inverse, significant correlation between the
FBXW7
gene and LINC01588 expression, suggesting a potential regulatory role of LINC01588.
Conclusion:
Neither mutations nor methylation is the causative mechanism for the
FBXW7
downregulation in EOC, suggesting alternative means involving the lncRNA LINC01588.