Pre-ciliated tubal epithelial cells are prone to initiation of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma

Abstract The distal region of the uterine (Fallopian) tube is commonly associated with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the predominant and most aggressive form of ovarian or extra-uterine cancer. Specific cell states and lineage dynamics of the adult tubal epithelium (TE) remain insufficiently u...

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Main Authors: Andrea Flesken-Nikitin, Coulter Q. Ralston, Dah-Jiun Fu, Andrea J. De Micheli, Daryl J. Phuong, Blaine A. Harlan, Christopher S. Ashe, Amanda P. Armstrong, David W. McKellar, Sangeeta Ghuwalewala, Lora H. Ellenson, John C. Schimenti, Benjamin D. Cosgrove, Alexander Yu. Nikitin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-10-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52984-1
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Summary:Abstract The distal region of the uterine (Fallopian) tube is commonly associated with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), the predominant and most aggressive form of ovarian or extra-uterine cancer. Specific cell states and lineage dynamics of the adult tubal epithelium (TE) remain insufficiently understood, hindering efforts to determine the cell of origin for HGSC. Here, we report a comprehensive census of cell types and states of the mouse uterine tube. We show that distal TE cells expressing the stem/progenitor cell marker Slc1a3 can differentiate into both secretory (Ovgp1+) and ciliated (Fam183b+) cells. Inactivation of Trp53 and Rb1, whose pathways are commonly altered in HGSC, leads to elimination of targeted Slc1a3+ cells by apoptosis, thereby preventing their malignant transformation. In contrast, pre-ciliated cells (Krt5+, Prom1+, Trp73+) remain cancer-prone and give rise to serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas and overt HGSC. These findings identify transitional pre-ciliated cells as a cancer-prone cell state and point to pre-ciliation mechanisms as diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
ISSN:2041-1723