Expression of survinine as a biomarker of endometriosis

• Grant number: 17/10045-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2017
• End date: August 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Bianca Alves Vieira Bianco
• Grantee: Rubia Beteli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC). Organização Social de Saúde. Fundação do ABC. Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammation that represents one of the most common estrogen-dependent gynecological diseases. It is characterized by the growth and development of stroma and endometrial glands outside the uterine cavity, implanted in tissues and organs such as the fallopian tubes, ovary, peritoneum, colon, the rectovaginal region and bladder, which may lead to pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility. Some symptoms are characteristic of the disease in up to 60% of the affected women; however, recognition and conclusive diagnosis only occur, on average, approximately nine years after the onset of the disease. The initial investigation of endometriosis is made through the evaluation of clinical symptoms, and the degree of severity of the disease is not related to the amount of symptoms and/or its stage. Currently, the gold standard for the endometriosis diagnosis includes laparoscopic evaluation with direct visualization of the lesions and histological confirmation of the disease. In search of less invasive procedures, several biomarkers have been proposed to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. Survinine, encoded by the BIRC5 gene, is a multifunctional protein that controls cell division, inhibits apoptosis, and promotes angiogenesis. It is expressed in most human malignancies, but is absent in normal tissues. It has been pointed out by several authors as a potential biomarker in the early detection of tumors and their monitoring. The present hypothesized a possible relationship between endometriosis (development and progression) and the survinine expression in order to validate its role as a marker of early detection of endometriosis, in a noninvasive way, based on similarities between endometriosis and the molecular process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Endometriosis demonstrates features similar to metastatic tumors such as malignancy, including local invasion and attack on distant organs. Similar to a metastatic tumor, endometrial implants need vascularization to become established, to grow and invade neighboring tissues. The disease also shares predisposition and molecular similarity with cancer. Angiogenesis, tissue invasion, and metastasis are found in patients with endometriosis. Similarly, endometriotic lesions also have increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes and decreased expression of pro-apoptotic genes. Thus, the objective of the present study is to evaluate the expression of survinine by qRT-PCR in different phases of the menstrual cycle in women with and without endometriosis and to verify the expression of survinine in patients with endometriosis in the different degrees of disease (minimal/mild and Moderate/severe). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FILIPCHIUK, CAROLINA; LAGANA, ANTONIO SIMONE; BETELI, RUBIA; PONCE, TATIANA GUIDA; CHRISTOFOLINI, DENISE MARIA; TREVISAN, CAMILA MARTINS; FONSECA, FERNANDO LUIZ AFFONSO; BARBOSA, CAIO PARENTE; BIANCO, BIANCA. BIRC5/Survivin Expression as a Non-Invasive Biomarker of Endometriosis. DIAGNOSTICS, v. 10, n. 8, AUG 2020. (17/10045-2)