EFFICIENT INTRODUCTION OF GENES INTO HUMAN OVARIAN SURFACE EPITHELIUM

摘要

Human ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) is the pelvic mesothelium covering the ovary. It is the source of approximately 85% of all ovarian carcinomas, which are the fourth most common cause of death among North American women and the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies. The early stages of ovarian carcinogenesis are among the least understood of all major human malignancies, because these carcinomas are usually detected only in advanced stages, and also because of the difficulties in obtaining normal OSE for experimental purposes. OSE comprises only a minute part of the ovary and is fragile and easily damaged. Therefore, the number of viable cells obtained from surgical specimens is low (usually in the 10~4 range) and, in addition,the cells have a limited lifespan in culture which ranges from 15 to 25 population doublings. These limitations are particularly confounding in studies of the OSE from women with hereditary ovarian cancer syndromes, where tissue for investigation is only rarely available (5).