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