Over-expression of MLX, MAX dimerization protein 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 endometrium and endometrial tumors from humans. We identified MLX, MAX dimerization protein, encoded by MLX, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. MLX was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of MLX was correlated with recurrence-free survival in black patients with low mutational burden. MLX may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.