Relevance of Bcl-x expression in different types of endometrial tissues

RT-PCR and Western-blot assay were applied to detect the expressions of Bcl-xl and Bcl-xs in endometrial tissues of various histomorphologic types.The Bcl-xl expression levels of simple and atypical hyperplasia endometrial tissues were not significantly different from that of normal endometrial tissue (both P > 0.05). On contrary, Bcl-xl expression in endometrial carcinoma tissue was significantly higher than the normal endometrial tissue (P = 0.00), which was correlated with the pathological grading of endometrial carcinoma (F = 5.33, P = 0.02). In addition, Bcl-xs mRNA level in simple hyperplasia endometrial tissue had no significant difference compared to that in normal endometrial tissue (P = 0.12), while the levels of atypical hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma endometrial tissues were significantly different from the normal endometrial tissue (both P = 0.00). Furthermore, level of Bcl-xs mRNA was correlated with the clinical staging and lymph node metastasis of the endometrial carcinoma (P < 0.05). The expressions of Bcl-xl and Bcl-xs were negatively correlated with each other (r = -0.76).The abnormal expressions of Bcl-xs and Bcl-xl were one of the molecular mechanisms for the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma, and altered ratio between these two might involve in the onset of endometrial carcinoma.Endometrial carcinoma is one of the common malignant tumors of female genital tract. The incidence of endometrial carcinoma continued to increase annually and it has replaced cervical cancer in some countries as the most common malignant tumors of female genital tract[1]. However, the molecular biological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma remain unclear. Recent studies find that Bcl-2 family is a major tumor suppressor gene family in association to the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma. As a regulatory point for caspase activation and mitochondria function, Bcl-2 gene family functions as a common pathway for transmission of