Expression profile of several genes in human myometrium and uterine leiomyoma.

Objective: To screen several genes that are differentially expressed in uterine leiomyoma and matched unaffected myometrium by using microarray-based hybridization and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses.

Design: Screen by arrays for < or =2,400 known genes in leiomyoma and control myometrium.

Setting: University clinical research laboratory.

Patient(s): Four patients with leiomyoma scheduled for surgery during the proliferative phase.

Intervention(s): Four paired samples of leiomyoma and adjacent myometrium were obtained from patients undergoing hysterectomy.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Fold-changes in expression of leiomyoma and matched myometrium (L/M).

Result(s): A comparison of expression patterns revealed 73 genes significantly up- or down-regulated in each paired tissue sample, of which 30 genes showed increased expression (mean L/M of >2) and 43 showed decreased expression (mean L/M of <0.5) in leiomyoma compared with normal myometrium. When considering only growth factors, pleiotropin (PTN) was expressed 3.5-fold more in leiomyomas compared with in myometrium. No other growth factors were similarly affected. In addition, real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis correlated well with microarray data.

Conclusion(s): Data obtained from the present study suggest that several genes are selectively overexpressed in leiomyomas compared with in myometrium. Increased expression of growth factor PTN may represent a promising target for therapy.