LRRC17 Is Linked to Prognosis of Ovarian Cancer Through a p53-dependent Anti-apoptotic Function

Background/Aim: Since pathways involving LRRC17 are related to the survival of patients with various cancers, we analyzed LRRC17 as a prognostic gene in serous ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE9891, GSE13876, and GSE26712) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We performed survival analyses using C statistics, area under the curve, survival plot with optimal cutoff level, and cox proportional regression. Zebrafish embryos were used as an in vivo model. Results: The prognosis of patients with high LRRC17 expression was poorer than that of patients with low LRRC17 expression. Multivariate regression analysis showed that LRRC17 expression, age, and stage were independently related with survival. Knockdown of lrrc17 reduced survival rate and delayed development in zebrafish embryos. We also found that lrrc17 is important for cell viability by protecting from p53-dependent apoptosis. Conclusion: LRRC17 could be a prognostic gene in ovarian cancer as it regulates cancer cell viability through the p53 pathway.