2.1. Data sources
The NCBI-GEO database is a free and public database containing gene profiles. Two microarray datasets of ovarian cancer (GSE26712, GSE6008) and two microarray datasets of OE(GSE7305,GSE25628) were obtained from the GEO database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gds/). The inclusion criteria for the above gene expression profiles were set as follows: (1) the tissue samples should consist of from human pathological tissues and normal tissues; (2) the number of samples in each dataset should be more than 8; (3) all selected datasets should be provided by Affymetrix platforms to reduce the ‘platform effect’ due to different probe designs by different companies.
2.2. Data preprocessing and analysis
The OE and ovarian cancer datasets were processed as follows: (1) Identification of DEGs: R package limma was applied to filter the DEGs in the datasets; (2) Screening of DEGs: DEGs with low expression in OE and high expression in EAOC were screened; (3) PPI network construction༚The PPI network of the identified DEGs was constructed using an online tool, the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING; https://string-db.org/), with an interaction score of > 0.4; (4) Hub gene selection and analysis: The PPI network was visualized using Cytoscape software (version 3.8.2), and the top 5 hub nodes in the network were identified.
2.3. Ethics statement
The study plan was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Tianjin Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. All subjects gave informed consent to participate in this study.
2.4. Patients
Although EOC and CCOC are collectively referred to as EAOC, there is no requirement that both cancers should be caused by OE. Therefore, the criterion for screening patients in this study was EAOC patients whose cancerous lesions have been confirmed by pathology to be the malignant transformation of OE. A total of 44 patients with EAOC diagnosed as the malignant transformation of OE from September 2010 to March 2020 were selected, including 24 cases of CCOC and 20 cases of EOC. A total of 44 patients with OE in the same period were also recruited.
2.5. Collection of samples and immunohistochemical staining
Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) sections were obtained from the cancer tissue, EC, and EU samples collected from 44 EAOC patients with OE malignancy (24 patients with CCOC and 20 patients with EOC). The FFPE sections of EC samples from 44 OE patients in the same period were also obtained.
The slides were dewaxed in xylene and rehydrated in water by fractionated ethanol before dyeing. Antigen retrieval was performed with 1 mM EDTA buffer solution (pH 9.0) for in all sections, and the endogenous peroxisomal enzymes were inactivated by 3% H2O2. After blocking for 30 min, the cells were incubated overnight with the antibodies RRM2 (11661-1-AP, 1:150 dilution; ProteinTech) and Ki-67 (ZM-0166, 1:150 dilution; ZSGB-BIO) at 4°C. After washing, the slides were stained with secondary antibodies for 30 min at room temperature. Diaminobenzidine and hematoxylin were used as the chromogenic substrate and for nuclear counterstaining, respectively. For the negative control, each antibody was replaced with phosphate buffer solution. Five random visual fields (×400) were observed under an optical microscope. The results of immunohistochemical staining were evaluated independently by two pathologists who were blinded to the clinical data. In the tissue core containing tumor cells and stromal cells, the intensity of the tumor cells was scored according to morphological criteria. The expression level of RRM2 was determined based on the percentage of positive cells. Without knowing the background of the samples, two experienced gynecological pathologists evaluated the samples using histopathology and immunostaining scores.
2.6. Quantification of staining intensity and percentage
The expression of RRM2 was classified according to a grading system. Scores that corresponded to the percentages of stained cells were defined as follows: 0 for no positively stained cells; 1 for ༜ 25% positively stained cells; 2 for 25%-50% positively stained cells;3 for ༞ 50% positively stained cells. Moreover, in terms of the intensity of the stain, the following scores were designated: 0 for no staining; 1 for weak staining; 2 for moderate staining; 3 for strong staining. The immunostaining score for RRM2 expression was represented as the sum of the percentage score and the intensity score. The expression of RRM2 was finally defined as follows: “low expression (-)” for a score of ≤ 2; “medium expression (+)” for a score of 3 or 4; and “high expression (++)” for a score of 6 or 9. Two independent observers who were blinded to the sample background evaluated the cell staining.
2.7. RNA extraction and RT-qPCR
The FFPE sections of EC samples from 15 patients with EAOC diagnosed pathologically as the malignant transformation of OE from 2015 to 2020 were obtained. There were 10 cases of CCOC and 5 cases of EOC. The FFPE sections of EC samples from 15 patients with OE in the same period were also obtained.
The miRNeasy FFPE Kit (Qiagen) was used to isolate total RNA from FFPE tissue sections. Purified RNA (2 µg) was used for reverse transcription with the miScript II RT Kit (Qiagen). RT-qPCR was carried out with the CFX96 Touch Real-time PCR Detection System (Bio-Rad) using the Sso Advanced SSO SYBR Green Supermix (Bio-Rad).
2.8. Statistical analysis
SPSS 18.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Data are presented as the mean ± SD, and Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P value. Two-sided P values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.