This process was accompanied, however, by a statistically significant modulation of the cell cycle-related proteins p16, p21, p27 and p53 markedly increase following p27(kip1) overexpression in the endometriosis group (p < 0.001) and an increase in apoptotic cells was observed.
Alteration of the p27(Kip1)-interacting cell-cycle regulators appeared strongly involved in the progression of endometriosis-associated ovarian clear cell carcinogenesis through increasing cell proliferative activity.
The frequencies of p27(Kip1) downregulation and Skp2 overexpression in borderline CCAFs were significantly lower than those in atypical endometriosis components in endometriosis-associated CCAs (P < 0.05, respectively).
Our results suggest that expression of the cyclin kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 is involved in the natural history and progression of peritoneal endometriosis.