Differential gene expression in leiomyosarcoma.
BACKGROUND
Leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are a common subtype of soft tissue sarcoma. The molecular causes of the disease remain unclear.


METHODS
In the current study, gene expression in LMS, leiomyomas, and normal myometrium was examined. RNA was prepared and gene expression was determined using microarray analysis arrays containing approximately 12,000 known genes and 48,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs).


RESULTS
A number of genes were found to be differentially expressed in these sample sets, and six genes including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, diaphanous (Drosophila homolog) 3, doublecortin, calpain 6, interleukin-17B, and proteolipid 1 were found to be overexpressed in LMS compared with normal myometrium and 18 other tissues. Sets of genes were identified whose expression could be used to cluster samples with either LMS, leiomyomas, or normal myometrium.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors concluded that differences in gene expression can be detected between LMS and leiomyomas, normal myometrium, and other tissues, and that these changes in gene expression may yield clues with regard to the pathophysiology of leiomyosarcoma.
Skubitz
Keith M
KM
Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School and the Masonic Cancer Center, MMC 286, University Hospital, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. skubi001@tc.umn.edu
Skubitz
Amy P N
AP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009215:Myometrium; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology