Endometrial Immune-Inflammatory Gene Signatures in Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects 176 million women worldwide and is defined by the growth of endometrial (uterine) tissue outside of the uterus. Endometriosis is considered a multifactorial disease known for chronic inflammation and estrogen dependence; however, there is no consensus as to the cause. An overall lack of knowledge surrounding the disease has led to substantial challenges in classification, diagnosis, and treatment for endometriosis patients. The use of large-scale molecular profiles, including genomic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiles, has been conducted to further understand the pathology of endometriosis with the hopes that this information could help improve the current challenges. Interestingly, these studies have clearly revealed unique immune-inflammatory gene signatures in endometriosis patients compared to healthy fertile women. Since immune pathways are redundant and converge at multiple cellular and molecular levels, further study is required to carefully dissect how these specific immune pathways are contributing to the disease and if therapeutic targets can be revealed. Additionally, further study of specific lesion types, disease stage, and associated symptoms in the context of an immune gene signature could lead to the design of novel classification systems and diagnostic procedures. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the alterations in immune-inflammatory gene signatures and their functional significance in endometriosis.