Systematic Identification of Epithelial–Stromal Crosstalk Signaling Networks in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy in the United States. While studies on ovarian cancer pathogenesis were mainly focused on the epithelial component of the tumor, understanding in the role of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in ovarian cancer progression is limited. In the present study, we describe the use of microdissected transcriptome profiles for the identification of cancer–stroma crosstalk networks with prognostic value, which presents a unique opportunity for developing new treatment strategies for ovarian cancer. Transcriptome profiling analyses were performed on laser microdissected cancer associated stroma samples and epithelial tumor samples from high grade serous ovarian cancer patients using the Affymetrix human genome U133 Plus 2.0 microarray. Based on the transcriptome profiles, computer program cell-cell communication explorer (CCCExplorer) was used to predict signaling crosstalks between cancer associated fibroblasts and ovarian cancer cells.