查看文章

Ovarian cancer is developed from a single layer of thin epithelial cells covering the surface of ovary, named human ovarian surface epithelial cells. Like all primary human cells, human ovarian surface epithelial cells have a finite life span and will go into senescence and eventually die when cultured in vitro . Immortalized human ovarian surface epithelial cells will provide an important model system with which to study ovarian cancer initiation and progression. Here, we show that silencing p53 expression with retrovirus-mediated small interfering RNA can delay the senescence and extend cell passage number, but is not sufficient to immortalize normal ovarian surface epithelial cells. Introduction of the catalytic subunit of telomerase is similarly insufficient to achieve immortalization. However, concurrent disruption of p53 expression with small interfering RNA …