Project description:Accumulating evidence suggests a relationship between endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer. For example, endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer share epidemiological risk factors and molecular features observed across histotypes are held in common (e.g. serous, endometrioid and clear cell). Independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer have identified 16 and 27 risk regions, respectively, four of which overlap between the two cancers. Using GWAS summary statistics, we explored the shared genetic etiology between endometrial cancer and epithelial ovarian cancer. Genetic correlation analysis using LD Score regression revealed significant genetic correlation between the two cancers (rG = 0.43, P = 2.66 × 10-5). To identify loci associated with the risk of both cancers, we implemented a pipeline of statistical genetic analyses (i.e. inverse-variance meta-analysis, co-localization, and M-values), and performed analyses by stratified by subtype. We found seven loci associated with risk for both cancers (PBonferroni < 2.4 × 10-9). In addition, four novel regions at 7p22.2, 7q22.1, 9p12 and 11q13.3 were identified at a sub-genome wide threshold (P < 5 × 10-7). Integration with promoter-associated HiChIP chromatin loops from immortalized endometrium and epithelial ovarian cell lines, and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data highlighted candidate target genes for further investigation.
Project description:Global gene expression patterns associated with early stage endometrial cancer have been reported, but changes in molecular expression associated with tumor grade, depth of myometrial invasion, and non-endometrioid histology have not been previously elucidated. Our group hypothesized there are unique genetic events underlying early endometrial carcinogenesis. Ninety-two samples of pathologically reviewed stage I endometrial cancers (80 endometrioid and 12 serous) with a heterogeneous distribution of grade and depth of myometrial invasion (i.e. 9 IAG1, 14 IAG2, 7 IAG3, 14 IBG1, 12 IBG2, 13 IBG3, 7 ICG1, 10 ICG2, and 6 ICG3) were examined in relation to 12 samples of atrophic endometrium from postmenopausal women. Specimens were analyzed using oligonucleotide microarray analysis and a subset of the differentially expressed transcripts was validated using quantitative PCR. Comparison of early stage cancers with normal endometrium samples by the univariate t-test with 10,000 permutations identified 900 genes that were differentially regulated by at least 4-fold at a p value of <0.001. Unsupervised analysis revealed that when compared to normal endometrium, serous and endometrioid stage I cancers appeared to have similar expression patterns. However, when compared in the absence of normal controls, they were distinct. Differential expression analysis revealed a number of transcripts that were common as well as unique to both histologic types. This data uncovers previously unrecognized, novel pathways involved in early stage endometrial cancers and identifys targets for prevention strategies that are inclusive of both endometrioid and serous histologic subtypes. Ninety-one samples of pathologically reviewed stage I endometrial cancers (79 endometrioid and 12 serous) with a heterogeneous distribution of grade and depth of myometrial invasion (i.e. 9 IAG1, 14 IAG2, 7 IAG3, 14 IBG1, 12 IBG2, 13 IBG3, 7 ICG1, 10 ICG2, and 6 ICG3) were examined in relation to 12 samples of atrophic endometrium from postmenopausal women. Specimens were analyzed using oligonucleotide array analysis.
Project description:Global gene expression patterns associated with early stage endometrial cancer have been reported, but changes in molecular expression associated with tumor grade, depth of myometrial invasion, and non-endometrioid histology have not been previously elucidated. Our group hypothesized there are unique genetic events underlying early endometrial carcinogenesis. Ninety-two samples of pathologically reviewed stage I endometrial cancers (80 endometrioid and 12 serous) with a heterogeneous distribution of grade and depth of myometrial invasion (i.e. 9 IAG1, 14 IAG2, 7 IAG3, 14 IBG1, 12 IBG2, 13 IBG3, 7 ICG1, 10 ICG2, and 6 ICG3) were examined in relation to 12 samples of atrophic endometrium from postmenopausal women. Specimens were analyzed using oligonucleotide microarray analysis and a subset of the differentially expressed transcripts was validated using quantitative PCR. Comparison of early stage cancers with normal endometrium samples by the univariate t-test with 10,000 permutations identified 900 genes that were differentially regulated by at least 4-fold at a p value of <0.001. Unsupervised analysis revealed that when compared to normal endometrium, serous and endometrioid stage I cancers appeared to have similar expression patterns. However, when compared in the absence of normal controls, they were distinct. Differential expression analysis revealed a number of transcripts that were common as well as unique to both histologic types. This data uncovers previously unrecognized, novel pathways involved in early stage endometrial cancers and identifys targets for prevention strategies that are inclusive of both endometrioid and serous histologic subtypes.
Project description:Invasion into deep myometrium and/or lymphovascular space is a well-known risk factor for endometrial cancer metastasis, resulting in poor prognosis. It is therefore clinically important to identify novel molecules that suppress tumor invasion. Reduced expression of the metastasis suppressor, KISS1 (kisspeptin), and its endogenous receptor, GPR54, has been reported in several cancers, but the significance of the KISS1/GPR54 axis in endometrial cancer metastasis has not been clarified. Metastin-10 is the minimal bioactive sequence of genetic products of KISS1. Clinicopathological analysis of 92 endometrial cancers revealed overall survival is improved in cancers with high expression of GPR54. Through RNAi and mousemodel analyses, metastin-10 was predicted to suppress invasion and metastasis of GPR54-expressing endometrial cancers. These data suggest that metastin-10 may induce genetic changes in the metastatic character of endometrial cancers. We used microarrays to clarify the changes of gene expression along with metastin-10 treatment and to confirm whether the changes were derived via the metastin-GPR54 axis. Gene expression microarray data (Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0) for Ishikawa cells treated with or without 10μM metastin-10 and/or GPR54 siRNA were generated in triplicate and RMA-normalized.
Project description:Invasion into deep myometrium and/or lymphovascular space is a well-known risk factor for endometrial cancer metastasis, resulting in poor prognosis. It is therefore clinically important to identify novel molecules that suppress tumor invasion. Reduced expression of the metastasis suppressor, KISS1 (kisspeptin), and its endogenous receptor, GPR54, has been reported in several cancers, but the significance of the KISS1/GPR54 axis in endometrial cancer metastasis has not been clarified. Metastin-10 is the minimal bioactive sequence of genetic products of KISS1. Clinicopathological analysis of 92 endometrial cancers revealed overall survival is improved in cancers with high expression of GPR54. Through RNAi and mousemodel analyses, metastin-10 was predicted to suppress invasion and metastasis of GPR54-expressing endometrial cancers. These data suggest that metastin-10 may induce genetic changes in the metastatic character of endometrial cancers.
Project description:Endometrial cancer represents the most frequent gynecologic malignant disease. Although several genetic alterations have been associated with increased risk, to date diagnosis and prognosis still rely on morphological features of the tumor, such as histological type, grading and invasiveness. As molecular-based classification is desirable for optimal treatment and prognosis of these cancers, , we explored the potential of lncRNAs as molecular biomarkers. To this end, we first identified by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) a set of lncRNAs differentially expressed in cancer vs normal endometrial tissues, a result confirmed also by analysis of RNA-Seq data of normal and cancerous endometrium from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A significant association of a subset of these differentially expressed lncRNAs with tumor grade was then determined in 405 TCGA endometrial cancer profiles. Integrating endometrial cancer-specific expression profiles of long and small non-coding RNAs a functional association network was then identified. These results described for the first time a functional ‘core’ network, comprising small and long RNAs, whose deregulation is associated with endometrial neoplastic transformation, representing a set of cancer biomarkers that can be monitored and targeted for diagnosis, follow-up and therapy of these tumors.