Over-expression of tubulin beta 4B class IVb 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 tubulin beta 4B class IVb, encoded by TUBB4B, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. TUBB4B was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, primary tumor expression of TUBB4B was correlated with overall survival in patients with endometrial cancer. TUBB4B may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.