Over-expression of progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 4 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 progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 4, encoded by PAQR4, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. PAQR4 was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of PAQR4 was correlated with overall survival in black patients with low mutational burden. PAQR4 may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.