Differential expression of Lumican, Mimecan, Annexin A5 and Serotransferrin in ectopic and matched eutopic endometrium in ovarian endometriosis: a case-control study

Endometriosis is a debilitating disease marked by recurrent gynecological proliferations. The present study aimed at performing differential proteomic analysis of matched eutopic and ectopic endometrium from women with ovarian endometriosis. Proteomes were resolved using nano LC–MS and further identified and quantified using ProteinLynx Global SERVER (PLGS) software. Selected proteins were further chosen for validation by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The protein profiles uncovered several differentially expressed proteins in the diseased sample (ectopic endometrium) as compared to the reference sample (eutopic endometrium). The study involved an advanced proteomic approach, nano LC–MS, and validates for the first time the upregulation of Mimecan and Lumican proteins in endometriosis. These proteins may hence prove as potentially useful tools in the search for diagnostic markers for early detection of the disease.