Gene expression profiling of leiomyoma and myometrium specimens collected at distinct phases of the menstrual cycle

Despite progesterone’s key role in uterine smooth muscle tumorigenesis, the mechanisms by which it promotes the growth of uterine leiomyomas remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify novel gene products mediating progesterone’s effects in uterine leiomyomas. Gene expression profiling was used to identify putative progesterone-regulated genes differentially expressed in uterine leiomyomas, which were then studied in vitro. Our analyses identified secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4) as a key gene product functionally linked to PR activation whose expression was a) 2.6-fold higher in leiomyomas than myometrium (n=26, p<0.01) and b) 2.5-fold higher during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle (n=26, p<0.01). We comprehensively profiled and compared patterns of gene expression in matched specimens of leiomyoma and myometrium collected at distinct phases of the menstrual cycle. Gene expression was comprehensively profiled using the Illumina WG Bead Chip (v2.6).