Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of Fallopian Tube Ciliated Epithelial Cell Markers in Serous Ovarian Cancer

Serous ovarian cancer may originate from the ciliated epithelial cells of the fimbriated end of fallopian tube. The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of fallopian tube ciliated epithelial cell markers in serous ovarian cancer, and to preliminarily explore the potential mechanisms. Marker genes of fallopian tube ciliated epithelial cells were obtained from the human single-cell database CZ CELLxGENE. GEPIA, HPA, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases were applied to analyze their expression in serous ovarian cancer and correlation with clinical prognosis. The diagnostic potential of candidate biomarkers was evaluated using the GEO datasets. GeneMANIA, TISCH2, and TISIDB databases were implemented to explore the regulatory networks and related pathways of these biomarkers. The fallopian tube ciliated epithelial cell markers SCGB2A1, FOXJ1, CFAP126, and DYDC2 were found to be upregulated in serous ovarian tumor tissues, high expression levels of these markers were correlated with longer survival in patients. Gene interaction network and functional enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were involved in immune regulation, cell adhesion and signal transduction pathways. SCGB2A1, FOXJ1, CFAP126, and DYDC2 were associated with the occurrence and progression of serous ovarian cancer and could serve as markers for its diagnosis and prognosis.