Over-expression of ALG8, alpha-1,3-glucosyltransferase in human endometrial cancer.
Gynecologic cancers including cancers of the endometrium are a clinical problem (1-4). We mined published microarray data (5, 6) to discover genes associated with endometrial cancers by comparing transcriptomes of the normal and hyperplastic endometrium to endometrial tumors from humans. We identified ALG8, alpha-1,3-glucosyltransferase, encoded by ALG8, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. ALG8 was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of ALG8 was correlated with overall survival in black patients with low mutational burden. ALG8 may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.