Methods and materials related to ovarian cancer

1. A method of diagnosing an ovarian cancer that is resistant to chemotherapeutic intervention in a subject, comprising:

a) measuring, by microarray assay, miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 expression levels in a sample of ovarian tissue from the subject, as compared to control expression levels, and

b) detecting and quantifying the microarray assay of step a) to determine the levels of miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 signature, and

c) determining chemoresistant ovarian cancer in the subject if the subject has decreased miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 expression levels compared to the control expression levels,

wherein the chemoresistant ovarian cancer is resistant to therapeutic intervention from a chemotherapeutic agent selected from one or more of: a platinum-based drug, carboplatin, cisplatin, a taxane, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, etoposide, vinorelbine, xabepilone, an epithelone drug, bevacizumab, and/or phenoxodiol, wherein step (a) comprises:

1) reverse transcribing miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 RNA from the sample to provide a set of target oligodeoxynucleotides;

2) hybridizing the target oligodeoxynucleotides to a microarray comprising miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 miRNA-specific probe oligonucleotides to provide a hybridization profile for the test sample; and

3) comparing the profile of step (2) to control.

2. A method of claim 1 , wherein step a) further includes identifying expression levels of: miR-592, miR-302d, miR-491, miR-483-5p, miR-653, miR-181a, miR-671-3p, miR-19a and/or miR-744, as compared to control expression levels.

3. A method of claim 1 , wherein step a) further includes identifying expression levels of: miR-296-5p and/or miR-518e, as compared to control expression levels.

4. A method of claim 1 , wherein step 3) comprises comparing the sample hybridization profile to a hybridization profile generated from a control sample.

5. A method of claim 1 , wherein step 3) comprises comparing the sample hybridization profile to a database, statistics, or a table of miR levels associated with non-cancerous samples.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ovarian cancer is serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

7. A method of determining whether a human subject has a poor survival prognosis for an ovarian cancer, comprising:

a) measuring, by microarray assay, the expression levels of a miR-484 gene product signature in a sample of ovarian tissue from the human subject, the miR gene product signature consisting of miR gene products: miR-484, mir-642 and miR-217; and

b) detecting and quantifying the microarray assay of step a) to determine the levels of miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 signature, and

c) determining the poor survival prognosis of the human subject when a decrease in the expression levels of the miR gene products in the sample, relative to corresponding expression levels of miR gene products in a control sample of cancer-free ovarian tissue, is indicative of the human subject having a poor survival prognosis for ovarian cancer, wherein step (a), comprises:

1) reverse transcribing miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 RNA from the sample to provide a set of target oligodeoxynucleotides;

2) hybridizing the target oligodeoxynucleotides to a microarray comprising miR-484, miR-642 and miR-217 miRNA-specific probe oligonucleotides to provide a hybridization profile for the test sample; and

3) comparing the profile of step (2) to control.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step (b) of determining the survival prognosis of the subject distinguishes serous ovarian cancer from other ovarian cancers.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step (b) of determining the survival prognosis of the subject predicts response to chemotherapeutic intervention from a chemotherapeutic agent selected from one or more of: a platinum-based drug, carboplatin, cisplatin, a taxane, paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, etoposide, vinorelbine, xabepilone, an epithelone drug, bevacizumab (Avastin®) and/or phenoxodiol.