Biological significance of HORMA domain containing protein 1 (HORMAD1) in epithelial ovarian carcinoma

The present study was undertaken to determine the expression and biological significance of HORMAD1 in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma. We found that a substantial proportion of human epithelial ovarian cancers expressed HORMAD1. In vitro, HORMAD1 siRNA enhanced docetaxel induced apoptosis and substantially reduced the invasive and migratory potential of ovarian cancer cells (2774). In vivo, HORMAD1 siRNA-DOPC treatment resulted in reduced tumor weight, which was further enhanced in combination with cisplatin. HORMAD1 gene silencing resulted in significantly reduced VEGF protein levels and microvessel density compared to controls. Our data suggest that HORMAD1 may be an important therapeutic target.

► HORMAD1 is a cancer/testis antigen expressed exclusively in germ cells during normal development.
► HORMAD1 is expressed in a substantial portion of human epithelial ovarian cancers.
► HORMAD1 down-regulation affected tumor growth in mouse models of human ovarian cancer.