Over-expression of NME/NM23 nucleoside diphosphate kinase 1 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 NME/NM23 nucleoside diphosphate kinase 1, encoded by NME1, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. NME1 was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of NME1 was correlated with overall survival in white patients with high mutational burden. NME1 may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.