Over-expression of propionyl-CoA carboxylase beta subunit 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 propionyl-CoA carboxylase beta subunit, encoded by PCCB, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. PCCB was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of PCCB was correlated with recurrence-free survival in white patients with low mutational burden. PCCB may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.