γ-Secretase Inhibitor, DAPT Inhibits Self-renewal and Stemness Maintenance of Ovarian Cancer Stem-like Cells In Vitro

Objective: The Notch signaling pathway plays an important role in the stem cell signaling network and contributes to tumorigenesis. However, the functions of Notch signaling in ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs) are not well understood. We aimed to investigate the effects of Notch blockade on self-renewal and stemness maintenance of OCSCs. Methods: Ovarian cancer stem-like cells were enriched from ovarian cancer cell lines in serum-free medium. A γ-secretase inhibitor, (DAPT), was used to block Notch signaling. MTT assays were performed to assess self-renewal and proliferation inhibition, flow cytometry was performed to analyze cell surface marker and immunofluorescence, Western Blot and Real-time RT-PCR assays were performed to detect Oct4 and Sox2 protein and mRNA expression of the Ovarian cancer stem-like cells treated with DAPT. Results: Notch blockade markedly inhibits self-renewal and proliferation of ovarian cancer stem-like cells, significantly downregulates the expression of OCSCs-specific surface markers, and reduces protein and mRNA expression of Oct4 and Sox2 in OCSC-like cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that Notch signaling is not only critical for the self-renewal and proliferation of OCSCs, but also for the stemness maintenance of OCSCs. The γ-secretase inhibitor is a promising treatment targeting OCSCs.

Limonin inhibits the stemness of cancer stem-like cells derived from colorectal carcinoma cells potentially via blocking STAT3 signaling

BACKGROUND Limonin is one of the most abundant active ingredients of Tetradium ruticarpum.It exerts antitumor effects on several kinds of cancer cells.However,whether limonin exerts antitumor effects on colorectal cancer(CRC)cells and cancer stem-like cells(CSCs),a subpopulation responsible for a poor prognosis,is unclear.AIM To evaluate the effects of limonin on CSCs derived from CRC cells.METHODS CSCs were collected by culturing CRC cells in serum-free medium.The cytotoxicity of limonin against CSCs and parental cells(PCs)was determined by cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 assay.The effects of limonin on stemness were detected by measuring stemness hallmarks and sphere formation ability.RESULTS As expected,limonin exerted inhibitory effects on CRC cell behaviors,including cell proliferation,migration,invasion,colony formation and tumor formation in soft agar.A relatively low concentration of limonin decreased the expression stemness hallmarks,including Nanog andβ-catenin,the proportion of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1-positive CSCs,and the sphere formation rate,indicating that limonin inhibits stemness without presenting cytotoxicity.Additionally,limonin treatment inhibited invasion and tumor formation in soft agar and in nude mice.Moreover,limonin treatment significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 but not S727 and did not affect total STAT3 expression.Inhibition of Nanog andβ-catenin expression and sphere formation by limonin was obviously reversed by pretreatment with 2μmol/L colievlin.CONCLUSION Taken together,these results indicate that limonin is a promising compound that targets CSCs and could be used to combat CRC recurrence and metastasis.

Cancer stem-like cells directly participate in vasculogenic mimicry channels in triple-negative breast cancer

Objective: Vasculogenic mimicry(VM) channels that are lined by tumor cells are a functional blood supply in malignant tumors.However, the role of VM-initiating cells remains poorly understood. Cancer stem-like cells(CSCs) are positively correlated with VM. In this study, triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC) enriched with CSCs was used to investigate the relationship between VM and CSCs.Methods: The expression of several CSC markers was detected by immunohistochemistry in 100 human breast cancer samples.The clinical significance of CSC markers and the relationship between VM, CSCs, breast cancer subtypes, and VM-associated proteins were analyzed. CD133+ and ALDH+ human and mouse TNBC cells were isolated by FACS to examine the ability of VM formation and the spatial relationship between VM and CSCs.Results: CSCs were associated with TNBC subtype and VM in human invasive breast cancer. CSCs in TNBC MDA-MB-231 cells formed more VM channels and expressed more molecules promoting VM than the non-TNBC MCF-7 cells in vitro. MDA-MB-231 cells that encircled VM channels on Matrigel expressed CD133. Moreover, CSCs were located near VM channels in the 3D reconstructed blood supply system in human TNBC grafts. The CD133+ and ALDH+ cells isolated from TA2 mouse breast cancer formed more VM channels in vivo.Conclusions: CSCs line VM channels directly. Additionally, CSCs provide more VM-related molecules to synergize VM formation. The signaling pathways that control CSC differentiation may also be potential treatment targets for TNBC.

Sox2 enhances the tumorigenicity and chemoresistance of cancer stem-like cells derived from gastric cancer

Gastric cancer stem-like cells（GCSCs） have been identified to possess the ability of self-renewal and tumor initi-ation.However,the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.Here,we isolated and characterized the GCSCs by side population（SP） sorting procedure and cultured sphere cells（SC） from human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901,BGC-823,MGC-803,HGC-27 and MKN-28.The sorting and culture assay revealed that SP cells proliferated in an asymmetric division manner.In addition,SP cells exhibited a higher potential of spheroid colony formation and greater drug resistance than non-SP cells（NSP）.Moreover,the SC were found with enhanced capabilities of drug resistance in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo.Sox2 mRNA and protein was highly and significantly overex-pressed in the SP cells and SC.Importantly,downregulation of Sox2 with siRNA obviously reduced spheroid colony formation and doxorubicin efflux,as well as increased apoptosis rate in sphere cells in vitro and suppressed tumori-genicity in vivo.These results suggest that both SP cells and cultured SC enrich with GCSCs and that Sox2 plays a pivotal role in sustaining stem cell properties and might be a potential target for gastric cancer therapy.

Xiaotan Sanjie decoction attenuates tumor angiogenesis by manipulating Notch-1-regulated proliferation of gastric cancer stem-like cells

AIM: To determine the underlying mechanisms of action and influence of Xiaotan Sanjie (XTSJ) decoction on gastric cancer stem-like cells (GCSCs).

Hallmarks in colorectal cancer:Angiogenesis and cancer stem-like cells

Carcinogenesis is a multistep process that requires the accumulation of various genetic and epigenetic aberrations to drive the progressive malignant transformation of normal human cells.Two major hallmarks of carcinogenesis that have been described are angiogenesis and the stem cell characteristic of limitless replicative potential.These properties have been targeted over the past decade in the development of therapeutic treatments for colorectal cancer(CRC),one of the most commonly diagnosed and lethal cancers worldwide.The treatment of solid tumor cancers such as CRC has been challenging due to the heterogeneity of the tumor itself and the chemoresistance of the malignant cells.Furthermore,the same microenvironment that maintains the pool of intestinal stem cells that contribute to the continuous renewal of the intestinal epithelia also provides the necessary conditions for proliferative growth of cancer stem-like cells.These cancer stem-like cells are responsible for the resistance to therapy and cancer recurrence,though they represent less than 2.5%of the tumor mass.The stromal environment surrounding the tumor cells,referred to as the tumor niche,also supports angiogenesis,which supplies the oxygen and nutrients needed for tumor development.Anti-angiogenic therapy,such as with bevacizumab,a monoclonal antibody against vascular-endothelial growth factor,significantly prolongs the survival of metastatic CRC patients.However,such treatments are not completely curative,and a large proportion of patient tumors retain chemoresistance or show recurrence.This article reviews the current knowledge regarding the molecular phenotype of CRC cancer cells,as well as discusses the mechanisms contributing to their maintenance.Future personalized therapeutic approaches that are based on the interaction of the carcinogenic hallmarks,namely angiogenic and proliferative attributes,could improve survival and decrease adverse effects induced by unnecessary chemotherapy.

Sphere-forming-like cells(squamospheres) with cancer stem-like cell traits from VX2 rabbit buccal squamous cell carcinoma

Previous studies have demonstrated that spheroid type cells grown under suspension culture conditions have cancer stem cell（CSC） traits in a number of cancers, but this phenomenon has not yet been reported in the VX2 rabbit oral cancer model. Hence, this study aimed to study the spheroid cells from VX2 rabbit buccal squamous cell carcinomas（SCCs） and assess their CSC characteristics. Five adult male New Zealand white outbred rabbits were used to generate VX2 rabbit buccal SCC. Sphere-forming cell culture was performed for the VX2 rabbit buccal SCC specimens. The self-renewal capability; cluster of designation（CD） 44, CD133, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 1（ALDH1）, B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1（Bmi-1）, Nestin, octamer-binding transcription factor 4（Oct4）and reduced expression protein-1（Rex-1） expression with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction（RT-PCR）; chemoresistance to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil; and in vivo tumorigenicity of spheroid cell transplantation in nude mice were evaluated to determine the CSC characteristics of the resulting spheroid cells. We successfully obtained spheroid cells from the VX2 rabbit OSCC tissues. The spheroid cells exhibited CSC traits, including the expression of CSC and stem cell markers（CD44, Bmi-1, Nestin, Oct4 and Rex-1）, capacity to generate new spheroid colonies within 1 week of reseeding from single-dissociated spheroid cells, chemoresistance capacity and generation of tumour xenografts（with histological features resembling those of the original VX2 rabbit buccal SCC） from the transplantation of 103 undifferentiated spheroid cells into nude mice. In summary, we demonstrated that spheroid cells with CSC cell traits can be derived from VX2 rabbit buccal SCCs, indicating that this animal cancer model is applicable for studying CSCs in human oral cancers.

Brain tumors:Cancer stem-like cells interact with tumor microenvironment

Cancer stem-like cells(CSCs)with potential of self-renewal drive tumorigenesis.Brain tumor microenvironment(TME)has been identified as a critical regulator of malignancy progression.Many researchers are searching new ways to characterize tumors with the goal of predicting how they respond to treatment.Here,we describe the striking parallels between normal stem cells and CSCs.We review the microenvironmental aspects of brain tumors,in particular composition and vital roles of immune cells infiltrating glioma and medulloblastoma.By highlighting that CSCs cooperate with TME via various cellular communication approaches,we discuss the recent advances in therapeutic strategies targeting the components of TME.Identification of the complex and interconnected factors can facilitate the development of promising treatments for these deadly malignancies.

System analysis based on the T cell exhaustion‑related genes identifies CD38 as a novel therapy target for ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer(OV)is highly heterogeneous tumor with a very poor prognosis.Studies increasingly show that T cell exhaustion is prognostically relevant in OV.The aim of this study was to dissect the heterogeneity of T cell subclusters in OV through single cell transcriptomic analysis.The single RNA-sequencing(scRNA-seq)data of five OV patients were analyzed,and six major cell clusters were identified after threshold screening.Further clustering of T cell-associated clusters revealed four subtypes.Pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation,G2M checkpoint,JAK-STAT and MAPK signaling were significantly activated,while the p53 pathway was inhibited in the CD8+exhausted T cells.The standard marker genes of CD8+T cell exhaustion were screened to develop a T-cell related gene score(TRS)based on random forest plots in TCGA cohort.The patients with low TRS have better prognosis compared to the patients with high TRS in both TCGA and GEO.In addition,most genes included in the TRS showed significant differences in expression levels between the high-and low-risk groups.Immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the MCPcounter and xCell algorithms,which revealed significant differences between the two risk groups,indicating that the different prognoses may stem from the respective immune landscapes.In addition,CD38 knockdown in OV cell lines increased apoptosis and inhibited invasion in vitro.Finally,we performed a drug sensitivity analysis and identified six potential drug candidates for OV.To summarize,we identified the heterogeneity and clinical significance of T cell exhaustion in OV and built a superior prognostic model based on T cell exhaustion genes,which can contribute to the development of more precise and effective therapies.

Ovarian cancer stem cells: Can targeted therapy lead to improved progression-free survival?

Despite significant effort and research funds, epithelial ovarian cancer remains a very deadly disease. There are no effective screening methods that discover early stage disease; the majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced disease. Treatment modalities consist primarily of radical debulking surgery followed by taxane and platinum-based chemotherapy. Newer therapies including limited targeted agents and intraperitoneal delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs have improved disease-free intervals, but failed to yield longlasting cures in most patients. Chemotherapeutic resistance, particularly in the recurrent setting, plagues the disease. Targeting the pathways and mechanisms behind the development of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer could lead to significant improvement in patient outcomes. In many malignancies, including blood and other solid tumors, there is a subgroup of tumor cells, separate from the bulk population, called cancer stem cells(CSCs). These CSCs are thought to be the cause of metastasis, recurrence and resistance. However, todate, ovarian CSCs have been difficult to identify, isolate, and target. It is felt by many investigators that finding a putative ovarian CSC and a chemotherapeutic agent to target it could be the key to a cure for this deadly disease. This review will focus on recent advances in this arena and discuss some of the controversies surrounding the concept.

Aiming to immune elimination of ovarian cancer stem cells

Ovarian cancer accounts for only 3% of all cancers in women, but it causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer. Treatment with chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery shows a good response to the therapy. However, in a large proportion of the patients the tumor grows back within a few years. Cancer stem cells, that are less responsive to these treatments, are blamed for this recurrence of disease. Immune therapy either cellular or humoral is a novel concept to treat cancer. It is based on the notice that immune cells invade the tumor. However, the tumor invest heavily to escape from immune elimination by recruiting several immune suppressive mechanisms. These processes are normally in place to limit excessive immune activation and prevent autoimmune phenomena. Here, we discuss current knowledge about the immune(suppressive)status in ovarian cancer. Moreover, we discuss the immunological targets of ovarian cancer stem cells.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β positively regulates the proliferation of human ovarian cancer cells

Although glycogen synthase kinase-3 （GSK-3） might act as a tumor suppressor since its inhibition is expected to mimic the activation of Wnt-signaling pathway, GSK-3β may contribute to NF-κB activation in cancer cells leading to increased cancer cell proliferation and survival. Here we report that GSK-3β activity was involved in the proliferation of human ovarian cancer cell both in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of GSK-3 activity by pharmacological inhibitors suppressed proliferation of the ovarian cancer cells. Overexpressing constitutively active form of GSK-3β induced entry into the S phase, increased cyclin D1 expression and facilitated the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, GSK-3 inhibition prevented the formation of the tumor in nude mice generated by the inoculation of human ovarian cancer cells. Our findings thus suggest that GSK-3β activity is important for the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, implicating this kinase as a potential therapeutic target in ovarian cancer.

Presence and role of stem cells in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological malignancy.It is typically diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease,with metastatic sites disseminated widely within the abdominal cavity.Ovarian cancer treatment is challenging due to high disease recurrence and further complicated pursuant to acquired chemoresistance.Cancer stem cell(CSC)theory proposes that both tumor development and progression are driven by undifferentiated stem cells capable of self-renewal and tumor-initiation.The most recent evidence revealed that CSCs in terms of ovarian cancer are not only responsible for primary tumor growth,metastasis and relapse of disease,but also for the development of chemoresistance.As the elimination of this cell population is critical for increasing treatment success,a deeper understanding of ovarian CSCs pathobiology,including epithelial-mesenchymal transition,signaling pathways and tumor microenvironment,is needed.Finally,before introducing new therapeutic agents for ovarian cancer,targeting CSCs,accurate identification of different ovarian stem cell subpopulations,including the very small embryoniclike stem cells suggested as progenitors,is necessary.To these ends,reliable markers of ovarian CSCs should be identified.In this review,we present the current knowledge and a critical discussion concerning ovarian CSCs and their clinical role.

Changes of TIZ expression in epithelial ovarian cancer cells

Objective:To study the change of TIZ expression in epithelial ovarian cancer cells.Methods:HO8910 cells were transinfected with siRNA to inhibit the expression of TIZ.pcDNA3.1-TIZ vectors were combined to increase the TIZ expression level.The cell viabilily,colony forming efficiency and cycle distribution of HO8910,HO8910/NC,HO8910/pcDNA3.1-NC,HO8910/ TIZ-573 and HO8910/pcDNA3.l-TIZ were compared,and the invasion rate,migration rate and adhesion rate between 5 groups of cells were compared.Results:Compared with those of HO8910,HO8910/NC and HO8910/pcDNA3.1-NC,the cell viability,colony forming efficiency and cell cycle distribution of HO8910/ TIZ-573 were increased,while the indexes of HO8910/pcDNA3.1-NC were decreased with statistical significant difference(P<0.05).There was no statistical significant difference in the invasion rate,migration rate and adhesion rate between 5 groups of cells(P>0.05).Conclusions:The expression of TIZ can inhibit the proliferation of epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

EFFECTS AND MECHANISMS OF ENDOSTATIN ON THE GROWTH OF OVARIAN CANCER SKOV_3 CELLS IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

Objective： To evaluate the inhibitory effect of Endostatin on ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 and to investigate the possible mechanism of the inhibition. Methods： Using MTT, transmission electron microscope （TEM） and immunocytochemistry, the effects of Endostatin on the proliferation of SKOV3 cells were studied. Nude mice were subcutaneously implanted with SKOV3 cells. The cell apoptosis of implanted tumor was detected by TUNEL and TEM. The expressions of bcl-2 and bax in implanted tumor tissues were measured by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results： Endostatin significantly inhibited the proliferation of SKOV3 cells in vitro （P〈0.01） and induced cell apoptosis, whereas the expressions of bcl-2 and bax were not changed obviously in SKOV3 cell treated with Endostatin. The mean tumor weight of Endostatin treated group was markedly lower than that of PBS control group （P〈0.05）. The expression of bcl-2 was down-regulated in Endostatin treated group, but bax was not influenced. Conclusions： The results demonstrated that Endostatin might have anti-tumor effect on ovarian carcinoma. One of the important mechanisms of Endostatin effect of anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activities might involve regulating the bcl-2/bax expression and inducing apoptosis.

Effects of HLEC on the secreted proteins of epithelial ovarian cancer cells prone to metastasize to lymph nodes

Objective： To study explores the effect of HLEC on the secreted proteins of epithelial ovarian cancer （EOC） cells （SKOV3-PM4） with directional highly lymphatic metastasis. Methods： Supernatants of four groups of cultured cells, namely, SKOV3 （A）, SKOV3＋HLEC （B）, SKOV3-PM4 （C）, SKOV3-PM4＋HLEC （D）, were collected, and their proteins were detected by antibody arrays and iTRAOcZD-LC-MALDI- TOF/TOF/MS. Significantly differential proteins were further analyzed via bioinformatics and validated in human serums and cell media via ELISA. Results： Results of antibody arrays and mass spectrometry demonstrated that GRN and VEGFA were upregulated in group C （compared with group A）, whereas IGFBP7 and SPARC were downregulated in group D （compared with group C）. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis results showed that IGFBP7 and VEGFA were closely linked to each other. Further validation with serums showed statistical significance in VEGFA and IGFBP7 levels among groups of patients with ovarian cancers, benign tumors, and control groups. Two proteins were upegulated in the first group. VEGFA in the control group was downregulated. For IGFBP, upregulation in the control group and down-regulation in the first group were also observed. Conclusion： The HLEC microenvironment is closely associated with directional metastasis to lymph nodes and with differential proteins including cell stromal proteins and adhesion factors. The upregulation of VEGFA and GRN and the downregulation of SPARC and IGFBP7 are closely associated with directional metastasis to lymph nodes in EOC cells.

Effect of Spindle Checkpoint on Akt2-mediated Paclitaxel-resistance in A2780 Ovarian Cancer Cells

Recent evidence has suggested that Akt2 plays an important role in the protection of cells from paclitaxel （PTX）-induced apoptosis and control of the cell cycle. In addition, some scholars suggested that the PTX sensitivity depends on a functional spindle assembly checkpoint. In the present study, we investigated the role of the Akt2/Bubl cross-talking in apoptosis and cell cycle after exposure of the A2780 ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel （PTX）. Recombinant expression plasmid WT-Akt2 was transfected into A2780 cells by lipofectamine2000, and then the expression level of Akt2 gene was detected by using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 staining after treatment with PTX. Moreover, we compared the expression level of Bubl in different groups by Western blotting. Our study showed that up-regulation of Akt2 contributed to A2780 ovarian cancer cells overriding PTX-induced G2/M arrest, and inhibited Bubl expression. Our findings might shed light on the molecular mechanism of PTX-induced resistance in ovarian cancer and help develop novel anti-neoplastic strategies.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 promotes proliferation of HO-8910 ovarian cancer cells

Objective To investigate N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2(NDRG2) expression in ovarian cancer cells and its potential usefulness as a diagnostic marker and/or target for therapeutic intervention.Methods Human NDRG2 L/S gene was obtained by revers-transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Sequence analysis confirmed the identity of NDRG2 L/S gene, which was then inserted into a eukaryotic vector p LNCX2, which was in turn transfected into NDRG2 gene-negative HO-8910 cells. Flow cytometry(FCM) and 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay were conducted to determine the proliferation rate of HO-8910 cells. Cisplatin resistance of HO-8910 cells transfected with p LNCX2-NDRG2 L/S was evaluated by FCM. Tumors were generated in female nude mice by subcutaneous injection of HO-8910 cells.Results NDRG2 gene was isolated and its expression vector was successfully constructed. NDRG2 expression positively correlated with the proliferation of HO-8910 cells. NDRG2 L/S promoted tumorigenicity in HO-8910 cells.Conclusion The present study identified a novel function of NDRG2 L/S gene and demonstrated its involvement in the promotion of ovarian cancer cell proliferation and enhancement of cisplatin resistance in HO-8910 cells. Future studies are warranted to determine the relationship between NDRG2 upregulation and ovarian cancer progression.

Effect of Activin A on OVCAR-3 Ovarian Epithelial Cancer Cells

Objective： To investigate the proliferation effect and its pathway of activin A on Ovarian epithelial cancer cells line OVCAR-3. Methods： OVCAR-3 cells were cultured in vitro and the membrane receptor ActR II was detected by immunohistochemical method. The OVCAR-3 cells were cultured with 10 ng/ml activin A for 7 d to observe the effects. Activin A at 5, 10, 15 and 20 ng/ml was used separately to treat the OVCAR-3 cancer cells for 24, 48 and 72 h in order to draw the growth proliferation rate curve measured by MTT method. The expression of protein bcl-2 was detected by western-blot. When OVCAR-3 cells were treated with 10 ng/ml activin A and 5 lag/ml DDP for 24, 48 and 72 h, cell apoptosis could be detected by electron microscopy and flow cytometry （FCM）. Results： Positive expression of ActR II was detected. We also found that the proliferation of OVCAR-3 reached to the climax on the 5th day of culture. The experiments showed that the cells treated with activin A increased quickly and grew faster than those in control group. Moreover, OVCAR-3 cells treated with activin A for 48 h proliferated significantly greater than those treated for 24 h or 72 h （P〈0.01）. bcl-2 protein expression increased expression in activin A treated group than in control group （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Activin A could increase the proliferation of OVCAR-3 cells which may be through bcl-2 anti-apoptosis pathway.

Adaptor Protein Crk is Implicated in Mucus Formation in Mucinous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (mEOC) Cells MCAS

Objective： The mucus production is an indicator for the histological grade of mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer （mEOC）. In our previous study, Crk expression was targeted in the human ovarian mucinous adenocarcinoma cell line MCAS through RNA interference, resulting in the establishment of Crk knock down cells. These cells exhibited decreased tumorigenic potential both in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is any change in the capability of forming mucus in these Crk knock down cells. Methods： Cytoplasmic periodic acid Schiff （PAS） staining and particle excluding assay were conducted to assess the mucus formation within and around cells, respectively. Additionally, the amount of mucus formed in tumor lumps from nude mice model was measured following HE and PAS staining. Results： The increased mucus production in Crk knockdown mEOC cells （MCAS） was manifested by increased number of enlarged cells filled with vacuoles-like mucus observed by phase-contrast microscope and cytoplasmic PAS staining; and enhanced mucus secretion was represented by the assembly of pericellular matrix in particle excluding assay and increased mucus area in tumor lumps from nude mice models. Conclusion： The course of carcinogenesis in mEOC is associated with the altered pattern of mucus production and secretion. The adaptor protein Crk is implicated in both pathways.