Over-expression of denticleless E3 ubiquitin protein ligase homolog 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 denticleless E3 ubiquitin protein ligase homolog, encoded by DTL, as among the most differentially expressed genes, transcriptome-wide, in cancers of the endometrium. DTL was expressed at significantly higher levels in endometrial tumor tissues as compared to the endometrium. Importantly, in human endometrial cancer, primary tumor expression of DTL was correlated with overall survival in white patients with low mutational burden. DTL may be a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of human endometrial cancer.