Knockdown of CRM1 inhibits the nuclear export of p27Kip1 phosphorylated at serine 10 and plays a role in the pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer

• CRM1 and pSer10p27 expression levels are high in primary EOC tissues.
• Reduced CRM1 level affects p27Kip1 stabilization and nuclear export in SKOV3 cells.
• CRM1 regulates SKOV3 cells proliferation via serine10 phosphorylation in p27Kip1.

In a previous study, the nuclear export protein chromosomal region maintenance (CRM1) was correlated with p27Kip1 in glioma. The aims of the present study were to investigate the expression of CRM1 and pSer10p27 and their functional roles in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tissues. Using immunohistochemical analysis, CRM1 and pSer10p27 expression levels were shown to be associated with histologic stage and grade (P < 0.05). High CRM1 and pSer10p27 expression levels were prognostic indicators of overall survival (P < 0.05). Knockdown of CRM1 and pSer10p27 expression arrested cell cycle progression and inhibited the proliferation of SKOV3 cells both in vitro and in vivo. These data support the idea that pSer10p27 and CRM1 play cooperative roles in EOC.