Differential expression profiling of genes in a complete hydatidiform mole using cDNA microarray analysis

Objectives.: To gain a better understanding of the genes involved in the pathogenesis of gestational trophoblastic diseases, we evaluated the genome-wide expression levels of genes in complete hydatidiform mole (H-mole) as compared to normal placenta using cDNA microarray technique. Methods.: The expression profiles of complete H-mole tissues were compared with those of normal placenta using cDNA microarray technique. The data obtained from 10,305 human genes were normalized by the print-tip-based LOWESS method. Significance analysis of microarray (SAM) was used to identify genes with statistically significant changes in expression. The expression levels of genes which showed significant differences between normal early placenta and complete H-mole tissues were further confirmed by RT-PCR. Results.: A cDNA microarray analysis consisting of 10,305 human genes revealed significant changes in the expression of 213 genes, with 91 genes being upregulated and 122 being downregulated. SAM revealed significant changes in gene expression, including those associated with signal transduction, cell structure, transcription, and apoptosis. Further RT-PCR analysis of altered gene expression in mole tissues supported the microarray analysis results. We confirmed the upregulation of TLE4, CAPZA1, PRSS25, RNF130, and USP1 in complete H-mole tissues. Moreover, our study provides the first evidence that ELK3, LAMA3, LNK, STAT2, and TNFRSF25 are downregulated in complete H-mole compared to normal early placenta tissues. Conclusions.: These findings provide a large body of information regarding gene expression profiles associated with complete H-mole tumorigenesis and allow the identification of potential targets for tumor prevention or therapy.