Over-expression of TLR3 in human endometrial cancer.
Gynecologic cancers including cancers of the endometrium are a clinical problem (1, 2, 3, 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 the double-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) sensor TLR3 (7-9) as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. TLR3 was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. However, higher primary tumor expression of TLR3 was correlated with significantly improved overall survival in patients with endometrial cancer. Together, the data reveal over-expression of TLR3 in human endometrial cancer and indicate activation of a viral nucleic acid sensor in cancers of the endometrium.