Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(8), 10568-10582; doi:10.3390/ijms130810568
Review

Deciphering the Molecular Nature of Ovarian Cancer Biomarker CA125

Florian Weiland 1,† email, Karina Martin 1,† email, Martin K. Oehler 2 email and Peter Hoffmann 1,* email
1 Adelaide Proteomics Centre, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia 2 Research Centre for Reproductive Health, Robinson Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia † These authors contributed equally to this work.
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2 July 2012; in revised form: 3 July 2012 / Accepted: 13 August 2012 / Published: 22 August 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cancer Molecules in Ovarian Cancer 2012)
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Abstract: The ovarian cancer biomarker CA125 has been extensively investigated over the last 30 years. The knowledge about the exact molecular nature of this protein, however, remains fragmented. This review provides an overview of the structural research regarding CA125, and presents an orthogonal verification method to confirm the identity of this molecule. The need for independent identification of CA125 is exemplified by several reports where mutually exclusive data concerning the existence of isoforms and the glycan moieties is presented. Mass spectrometry can overcome the pitfalls of a single detection/identification method such as antibody probing. Independent verification of CA125 identity in characterization studies will help establish a refined model of its molecular structure that will promote the development of new approaches for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of ovarian cancer.
Keywords: CA125; MUC16; ovarian cancer; biomarker; mass spectrometry

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MDPI and ACS Style

Weiland, F.; Martin, K.; Oehler, M.K.; Hoffmann, P. Deciphering the Molecular Nature of Ovarian Cancer Biomarker CA125. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13, 10568-10582.

AMA Style

Weiland F, Martin K, Oehler MK, Hoffmann P. Deciphering the Molecular Nature of Ovarian Cancer Biomarker CA125. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2012; 13(8):10568-10582.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Weiland, Florian; Martin, Karina; Oehler, Martin K.; Hoffmann, Peter. 2012. "Deciphering the Molecular Nature of Ovarian Cancer Biomarker CA125." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 13, no. 8: 10568-10582.

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