Expression of Folate Receptor, Ovarian Cancer Protein in Cancer Cell Line

Abstract

The human folate receptor (hFR) is well known as a specific protein binding folic acid and a plasma membrane protein that is anchored to the membrane via a glycosylphophatidylinositol (GPI) tail. We investigated the function and expression of hFR by transfecting hFR eDNA constructed from Nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma cell line(KB cell) into HeLa2, Human cervix epitheloid carcimoma cell line, and wild HeLa2 cell line. We isolatedand characterized stable clones that expressed detectable levels of hFR protein from the HeLa2 cells transfected with hFR eDNA into wild HeLa2 cells. We discovered that the wild HeLa2 cell line does not express levels of hFR protein as high as KB cell line, but a high level of hFR is expressed in the HeLa2 cells transfected with hFR eDNA. No differences in total folic acid binding or cell surface folic acid binding activity were found between HeLa2cells transfected with hFR eDNA or KB cell line, but we found that differences of the activities of hFR protein were found between wild HeLa2 cells and HeLa2 transfected with hFR eDNA. We conclude that the function and expression of hFR in HeLa2 cells transfected with hFR eDNA is going well, but low levels of hFR protein are detectable in wild HeLa2 cells.