“This study suggests targeting a new genetic pathway to develop better treatments for ovarian cancer,” says Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, professor at the University of Ottawa and Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research. “Although we can’t replace Lats1 and Lats2, we might be able to block Yap, Taz and PI3K-AKT to slow tumour growth and improve survival.”  A new study published in Oncogene has uncovered a survival tactic of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) in mice: the suppression of Lats1 and Lats2, two genes that are essential for regulating cell growth and tumour formation.

Cancer is tenacious. It wants to spread and thrive, finding new and deadly ways to avoid detection and elimination. So, when HGSOC supresses Lats1 and Lats2, it also increases the expression of Yap and Taz (two genes that promote cell growth) and PI3K-AKT (signals known to enhance cancer cell growth and survival). This combination leads to aggressive ovarian cancer that grows rapidly and evades the immune system's attempts to target dangerous cells.

“This study suggests targeting a new genetic pathway to develop better treatments for ovarian cancer,” says Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, professor at the University of Ottawa and Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research. “Although we can’t replace Lats1 and Lats2, we might be able to block Yap, Taz and PI3K-AKT to slow tumour growth and improve survival.”    

As HGSOC is the most lethal and prevalent form of ovarian cancer, this discovery in mice is an important step towards better understanding the disease in humans.  

Authors: Yalun Zhu, Atefeh Abedini, Galaxia M Rodriguez, Curtis W McCloskey, John Abou-Hamad, Omar Salah Salah, Janie Larocque, Mayra F Tsoi, Derek Boerboom, David Cook, Barbara Vanderhyden

Funding: Cancer Research Society, Ovarian Cancer Canada, the Carol Annibale Ovarian Cancer Foundation

Cores: Animal Care and Veterinary Service and Flow Cytometry core facility