Investigation of foxo transcription factors and related molecular mechanisms in endometrium cancer by histochemical and molecular biological methods

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In this study, it is aimed to determine the changes in the expression levels of the FOXO1 transcription factor and SREBP1 in the endometrial cancer (EC) patients with different histopathological grades, and to reveal their prognostic importance in the development of EC. MATERIALS VE METHODS: The expression changes of FOXO1 and SREBP1 at gene and protein levels in 61 Type 1 EK and 24 normal endometrium paraffin tissue blocks were investigated by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: According to the immunohistochemical staining results, it was determined that the FOXO1 protein level decreased in EC patients compared to the control group. It was observed that the level of SREBP1 protein was significantly increased in EC patients compared to the control group. According to RT-PCR results, although FOXO1 mRNA level was upregulated in the patient group compared to the control group, the level of FOXO1 was down-regulated in grade II and grade III EC patients compared to the control group. Additionally, although the level of SREBP1 mRNA was decreased in EC patients compared to the control group, it was analyzed that the expression level of SREBP1 was significantly increased especially in grade I and III EC patients. CONCLUSION: In the current thesis study, changes in gene and protein levels of FOXO1 and SREBP were revealed for the first time in EC patients with different grades. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the changing expression levels of FOXO1 and SREBP1 in patients with grade-related EC.