Elevated OGN expression correlates with the EMT signature and poor prognosis in ovarian carcinoma

Ovarian carcinoma is the most deadly gynaecological disease, with poor prognosis and limited predictive biomarkers. Recent evidence has indicated controversial roles of OGN in human malignancies, but the pathologic significance of OGN in ovarian carcinoma has not yet been determined. Here, we investigated the expression of OGN in ovarian carcinoma and determined its association with patient prognosis. We found that OGN expression was up-regulated in serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma compared to non-tumor tissues, but not in clear-cell ovarian carcinoma. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that OGN expression was an adverse prognostic factor for both the overall survival and the progression-free survival of ovarian carcinoma patients. Higher OGN levels were positively associated with the activation of EMT-related gene signatures. Histological analysis further confirmed that OGN positive ovarian carcinoma cells expressed vimentin and displayed morphology of mesenchymal identity. Collectively, our preliminary results indicate that elevated expression of OGN is associated with the EMT process and may serve as a potential biomarker for prognosis in ovarian carcinoma.