title: Evidence by molecular profiling for a placental origin of infantile hemangioma.
abstract: The origin of the pathogenic endothelial cells in common infantile hemangioma is unknown. We show here that the transcriptomes of human placenta and infantile hemangioma are sufficiently similar to suggest a placental origin for this tumor, expanding on recent immunophenotypical studies that have suggested this possibility [North, P. E., et al. (2001) Arch. Dermatol. 137, 559-570]. The transcriptomes of placenta, hemangioma, and eight normal and diseased tissues were compared by hierarchical and nonhierarchical clustering analysis of >7,800 genes. We found that the level of transcriptome similarity between placenta and hemangioma exceeded that of any other tissue compared and paralleled that observed between a given tissue and its derived tumor, such as normal and cancerous lung. The degree of similarity was even greater when a subset of endothelial cell-specific genes was analyzed. Genes preferentially expressed in both placenta and hemangiomas were identified, including 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 and tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2. These data demonstrate the value of global molecular profiling of tissues as a tool for hypothesis-driven research. Furthermore, it suggests that the unique self-limited growth of infantile hemangioma may, in fact, mirror the lifetime of placental endothelium.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Program and Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Barnés
authors.forename: Sui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Arja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaipainen
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sanoudou
authors.forename: Emy J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gabriel S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Eichler
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Ingber
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Mulliken
authors.forename: Alan H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Beggs
authors.forename: Judah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Folkman
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fishman
mesh_terms: D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C021240:tissue-factor-pathway inhibitor 2; D012313:RNA; D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases