Over-expression of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 C 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 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 C, encoded by UBE2C, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. UBE2C was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, primary tumor expression of UBE2C was correlated with overall survival in patients with endometrial cancer. UBE2C may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.