Analysis of KAP1 expression patterns and human endogenous retrovirus Env proteins in ovarian cancer

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) constitute around 8% of the human genome and have important roles in human health and disease, including cancers. Previous studies showed that HERV envelope (Env) proteins are highly expressed in cancer tissues and co-related with cancer progression. KAP1 has been reported to play a key role in regulating retrotransposons, including HERV-K, through epigenetic silencing.

The relationship between KAP-1 and HERV Envs expressions was analyzed only in tumor cell lines and has not yet been studied in cancer tissues. In this study, we analyzed the expression patterns and relationship between KAP1 and HERV Env proteins in ovarian cancer tissues.

The expression patterns of KAP-1 and HERV Env proteins, including HERV-K and HERV-R, were analyzed in ovarian cancer tissue microarrays that contained 80 surgical specimens, including normal ovary and malignant ovarian cancers.

The expression of HERV-R Env and KAP1 proteins is significantly higher in ovarian cancer compared with normal ovary tissues. However, the expression of HERV-K Env did not change significantly in cancer tissues. The expression patterns of HERV-K Env and HERV-R Env significantly increased in early stages of cancer and KAP1 expression was higher in certain stage and types of cancers. However, the expression of HERV-K Env, HERV-R Env, and KAP1 did not change in different age groups. The correlation between the expression of KAP1 and HERV-Env, including HERV-K and HERV-R, was not significantly correlated.

The results of this study showed that there was no significant correlation between the expression of KAP1 and HERV Env proteins in ovarian cancer tissues, unlike studies with cell lines in vitro. These results suggest that the actual expression of HERV Env proteins in ovarian cancer tissues may be regulated through various complex factors as well as KAP1.