title: Transcriptional expression of survivin and its splice variants in endometriosis.
abstract: Survivin is a novel inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP), and the two splice variants of survivin (survivin-2B and survivin-EX3) have been identified. Gene expression levels of survivin, survivin-2B and survivin-EX3 in 56 ectopic (16 peritoneal red and 16 peritoneal black lesions and 24 ovarian endometriomata) and 13 eutopic endometrial tissues surgically obtained from 42 women with endometriosis (group A) were compared with those in 16 control eutopic endometrium from 16 women without endometriosis (group B) by quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Survivin mRNA expression levels in ectopic endometriotic tissues were significantly higher than those in eutopic endometrium of groups A and B over the whole cycle. Red peritoneal lesions had higher gene expression levels of survivin than black lesions. In contrast, all tissue samples examined showed relatively lower gene expression levels of survivin-2B and survivin-EX3. No cyclic variation was found in survivin and the two splice variants, both in ectopic and in eutopic endometrium. Although there was no significant difference in the ratio of survivin-2B/survivin between ectopic and eutopic endometrium, the ratio of survivin-EX3/survivin in peritoneal endometriotic lesions was significantly higher than that of eutopic endometrium of groups A and B. These results suggest that survivin and survivin-EX3 may be closely linked to escape from apoptosis and the development of endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka Medical College, Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuniko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: Masatsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Hikari
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Futakuchi
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Terai
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000235:genetics*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000077022:Survivin; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000077022:Survivin