Endometriosis: clinical aspects

endometriums with endometriosis, which were labeled with Cy5-dUTP. Fluorescent labeled probes were hybridized on a microarray of 4800 human genes. Results: We could detect many genes expressed differently in eutopic endometrium with or without endometriosis. Nineteen genes were consistently overexpressed in endometrium, of endometriosis those were two p53-induced genes (PIGPC1 and PIG7), a member of ras oncogene family (RAB1A), nuclear localization and transcription related genes (karyopherin, HMG2, and HMG17), cell adhesion regulating gene (CD9), protein synthesis and modification related gene (eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 gamma, coatomer protein complex, serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase, protein disulfide isomerase-related protein and dUTP pyrophosphatase), apoptosis related gene (reticulon 4), proteins involved in energy metabolism (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 8 and ATP synthase), and three unknown functional genes. Thirty-three genes are consistently down-regulated in the endometriosis samples. Among them, many extracellular matrix protein genes (decorin, lumican, EGFcontaining fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1, fibulin 5 and matrix Gla protein) and protease/protease inhibitors (serine proteinase inhibitor, matrix metalloproteinase 2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, tissue type plasminogen activator) were included. The action of those significantly upregulated or downregulated genes were involved in cell proliferation, adhesion and angiogenesis.