Project description:To determine the expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and to examine specific miRNA expression in endometrial serous adenocarcinoma in comparison with normal endometrial tissue and endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Twenty-one serous adenocarcinoma tissues, 20 endometrioid adenocarcinoma tissues, and 7 normal endometrial tissues were enrolled. miRNA expression profiles were examined using miRNA microarray.
Project description:Endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC), an estradiol-related disease, remains a serious health threat to women because of its high incidence and trend of rejuvenation. Accumulating evidence has highlighted that microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) play important roles in various biological processes involved in the pathogenesis of EEC. This study aimed to identify the potential prognostic biomarkers associated with EEC regulated by estradiol.
Project description:The molecular events that mediate the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in endometrial cancer remain poorly understood. Using cDNA microarrays, we analyzed a group of endometrial carcinosarcomas (ECS), a true example of EMT in vivo, and we compared their gene expression profiles with those obtained from a group of endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EEC). The HMGA2 gene (High Mobility Group AT-hook 2), an embryonic nuclear factor that mediates EMT in various tumour models, was among the genes overexpressed in ECS, and HMGA2 overexpression was confirmed in 54% of ECSs by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Moreover, we found a significant inverse correlation between the expression of HMGA2 and let-7b, a member of the let-7 family of miRNAs that represses HMGA2 expression. These changes were also associated with overexpression of Lin28B, a suppressor of microRNA biogenesis implicated in cancer progression and metastasis. Finally, HMGA2 overexpression, which was detected in less than 3% of EECs, was observed in many non-endometrioid carcinomas (46%). For the first time, we describe a role for HMGA2 in both the process of EMT that contributes to endometrial carcinogenesis and in the acquisition of aggressive phenotypes by this neoplasia. Moreover, we demonstrate changes in the expression of genes modulating processes such as EMT, muscle differentiation, the expression of cancer testis antigens (CTAs) and the immune response. Identification of new molecular markers in endometrial carcinogenesis 15 endometrial carcinosarcomas and 23 endometrioid endometrial carcinoma
Project description:Purpose: Increasing genomics-based evidence suggests that synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancer (SEOC) represents clonally related primary and metastatic tumors. A systematic analysis of the global protein landscape of SEOCs, heretofore lacking, could reveal functional and disease-specific consequences of known genetic alterations, the directionality of metastasis, and accurate histological markers to distinguish SEOCs from single-site tumors. Experimental Design: We performed a systematic proteogenomic analysis of 29 patients diagnosed with SEOC at three international gynecologic oncology treatment centers (Chicago, Vancouver, Tübingen). For direct comparison to single-site tumors, we included 9 patients with single-site endometrioid ovarian and 26 patients with single-site endometrial endometrioid cancer. For all 64 patients, we performed sequencing of a 275-gene cancer panel combined with compartment-resolved mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics of consecutive tissue sections to compare global (6,000+ proteins), tumor, and stromal proteomes. Results: DNA-based panel sequencing confirmed that most SEOCs are clonally related, suggesting primary and metastatic disease. These findings were further substantiated on the global proteome level, uncovering pronounced differences between SEOCs and single tumors and underscoring the importance of the stromal proteome in defining and identifying SEOCs. Our integrated proteogenomic approach confirmed that SEOCs more closely resemble endometrial endometrioid than endometrioid ovarian cancers. Conclusions: The integrated proteogenomic data show that SEOCs are distinguishable from endometrial endometrioid or endometrioid ovarian cancers. Based on their proteogenomic similarity to endometrial endometrioid cancers, we conclude that most synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancers represent primary endometrial endometrioid cancers that have metastasized to the ovary.
Project description:In this study, we characterize the fusion protein produced by the EPC1-PHF1 translocation in Low Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (LG-ESS) and Ossifying FibroMyxoid Tumors (OFMT). We express the fusion protein and necessary controls in K562 Cells. The fusion protein assembles a mega-complex harboring both NuA4/TIP60 and PRC2 subunits and enzymatic activities and leads to mislocalization of chromatin marks in the genome, linked to aberrant gene expression.