Endometriosis: normal and ectopic endometrium

To explore the difference between ectopic and normal endometrium and find out the characteristics and critical changes in ectopic endometrium, we analyzed transcripts of stromal cells from two groups of patients. The ectopic endometrium and normal endometrium had similar tissue structures and compositions, unlike normal ovaries. The similarity of gene expression profile between the two groups is as high as 97.2%, only 2.8% is significantly different. The differentially expressed genes in the ectopic endometrium are mainly enriched in the adhesion process and the adhesion pathway, which has the adhesion characteristics. Among these differentially expressed genes, CNTN1 is the most variable and participates in multiple pathogenic pathways, which is considered as the core gene to enhance stromal cell adhesion. The up-regulated expression of CNTN1 in all stages of ectopic endometrium is confirmed. The tissues of four ovarian ectopic endometrial patients at different stages of the disease from the secretory phase were mixed into one, compared to the normal endometrium, also from the secretory phase.