Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Spheroid Attachment and Invasion of Mesothelial Cells in Real Time
14:25

Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Spheroid Attachment and Invasion of Mesothelial Cells in Real Time

Published on: May 20, 2014

The RON and MET oncogenes are co-expressed in human ovarian carcinomas and cooperate in activating invasiveness

Piera Maggiora1, Annalisa Lorenzato, Stefano Fracchioli

  • 1Laboratory of Cancer Genetics of the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, University of Torino School of Medicine, SP 142, Km 3.95, 10060 Candiolo (Torino), Italy.

Experimental Cell Research
|August 14, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Ovarian cancer cells expressing both RON and MET receptors show increased motility and invasiveness. Simultaneous ligand stimulation significantly enhances invasion, suggesting co-receptor expression promotes ovarian cancer progression.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family includes MET, linked to human tumorigenesis.
  • RON and MET receptors are known to interact and synergize in signaling pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression and functional significance of RON and MET co-expression in human ovarian carcinomas.
  • To determine the role of RON and MET signaling in ovarian cancer cell motility and invasiveness.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of RON and MET expression in human ovarian carcinoma samples and cell lines.
  • Assessment of ovarian cancer cell motility and invasiveness in response to ligands MSP and HGF.
  • Evaluation of invasion through basement membrane and collagen gel models.

Main Results:

  • RON and MET were coexpressed in 42% of human ovarian carcinomas.
  • No mutations were found in the kinase domains of RON and MET.
  • Ovarian cancer cells coexpressing MET and RON showed increased motility and invasiveness elicited by HGF and MSP.
  • Simultaneous addition of HGF and MSP significantly enhanced invasion.

Conclusions:

  • Coexpression of MET and RON receptors provides a selective advantage to ovarian cancer cells.
  • The MET-RON signaling axis may play a critical role in promoting ovarian cancer progression and metastasis.

More Related Videos

Evaluating the Angiogenetic Properties of Ovarian Cancer Stem-Like Cells using the Three-Dimensional Co-Culture System, NICO-107:59

Evaluating the Angiogenetic Properties of Ovarian Cancer Stem-Like Cells using the Three-Dimensional Co-Culture System, NICO-1

Published on: December 5, 2020

Modeling the Early Steps of Ovarian Cancer Dissemination in an Organotypic Culture of the Human Peritoneal Cavity09:00

Modeling the Early Steps of Ovarian Cancer Dissemination in an Organotypic Culture of the Human Peritoneal Cavity

Published on: December 31, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes01:33

Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...