Notably, analysis of OC cell-born exosomes not only confirmed the concentration-dependent correlation of HSP27 expression and secretion but also demonstrated a concentration-dependent incorporation of HSP27 protein into exosomes.
HSP27 is increased in many cancers at advanced stage including ovarian cancer and associated with cancer resistance to therapy and poor patients' survival.
Reduction of HSP27 expression increased the in vitro chemosensitivity of HO8910 cells to paclitaxel and increased paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and ROS production, although the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, partly offset the effects of HSP27 siRNA.
Since high levels of hsp27 are associated with metastatic disease in breast and ovarian cancers, but not in our experimental system, the functional role of hsp27 in metastasis requires further study.