Trefoil factor 1 elevates the malignant phenotype of mucinous ovarian cancer cell through Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Mucinous ovarian cancer accounts for almost 10% of epithelial ovarian cancer, though patients in the early stage have an excellent prognosis, patients with advanced disease have a poor outcome and the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we retrieved database and found a secretory protein TFF1, which plays a tumor suppressor role in gastric cancer, is highly expressed in mucinous ovarian cancer, not serous or any other kind of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, the highly expressed TFF1 indicates a poor clinical outcome. Further biological function analysis revealed that TFF1 not only promotes cell proliferation but also invasion and chemoresistance, and these oncogenic effects might through regulating the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the level of Twist. Taken together, we found TFF1 plays an oncogenic role in mucinous ovarian cancer, unlike its suppressive role in gastric cancer.