Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.1.21 (thymidine kinase)
 7,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has long been implicated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Recent studies in our and other laboratories have shown a correlation between the disease and high antibody titers to EBV-specific DNase. These data led us to also examine serial sera from healthy adults and patients with infectious mononucleosis or NPC, for their capacity to neutralize the EBV-specific thymidine kinase (TK) activity from chemically induced EBV-carrying human lymphoblastoid cells. Our results were the following: (i) sera were found that efficiently blocked the EBV-specific TK activity of induced-Raji TK- cell extracts, but not the host-cell TK activity from EBV-negative BJAB cells; (ii) a relationship appeared between high levels of EBV-specific TK-neutralizing activity in sera and NPC pathology, even though in this preliminary study the degrees of EBV-induced TK-blocking activity detected in sera were not significantly correlated with EBV-specific antibody titers; (iii) the EBV-induced TK-neutralizing activity was found in the main IgG fraction derived from NPC sera. These data must be compared with other known antibody responses to EBV for their clinical interest in NPC control.
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PMID:Relationship between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and high antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus-specific thymidine kinase. 253 7

Serum thymidine kinase (TK), measured using Prolifigen TK-REA, from AB Sangtec Medical, was investigated in 24 HIV seropositive patients without immunological alterations, 26 seropositives with immunological alterations, 125 LAS, 25 ARC, and 20 AIDS. Subjects with serological markers of prior EBV, HBV, and CMV infection were included but none with acute infectious mononucleosis or acute viral hepatitis. Serum TK was elevated from the beginning of the HIV infection, the seropositive stage, and more markedly afterwards during the course of the infection, with a close correlation with the stage. TK also increased during AZT treatment, due to bone-marrow toxicity. On lowering the dosage or discontinuing the drug TK returned to basal levels. Although the rise in serum may well not be correlated only with the HIV infection, it does add to the picture given by other clinical and/or laboratory methods. Serum TK can be a helpful laboratory test in the follow-up of patients with HIV infection, especially when serum levels are disproportionate to the stage, opportunistic infections, lymphoproliferative malignancies. In such cases bone-marrow toxicity due to treatment can be suspected.
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PMID:Serum thymidine kinase (TK) evaluation in HIV infection. 274 46

An improved method for the detection of deoxythymidine kinase (TK) in human sera is reported. The method which utilizes 125I-iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd) as a substrate was used to measure TK in sera from patients with different diseases. Sera collected during the acute stage of infectious mononucleosis were found to contain elevated levels of TK, in most cases 10-40 times the normal value. The serum TK activity disappeared gradually and reached a normal level within 4 weeks. Sera from patients with other viral infections contained in most cases normal serum TK levels except in connection with measles, rubella, varicella, herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus infections. Additional studies revealed that sera from patients with different types of advanced lymphomas, acute leukemias, chronic granulocytic leukemia and lung cancer of the small-cell type with metastases, contained high TK levels which fluctuated in parallel with alterations in activity of the disease. The TK activity in sera from patients with both mononucleosis and tumor disease was characterized by electrophoresis and by its ability to utilize cytidine triphosphate as the phosphate donor. The results showed that the serum TK has the same properties as the human cytosolar TKI, except in connection with varicella.
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PMID:Application of an in vitro assay for serum thymidine kinase: results on viral disease and malignancies in humans. 669 95

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and its relevance in post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases (PTLDs) is an increasing area of concern. PTLD can differ clinically from a mononucleosis-like syndrome to malignant lymphoma. The incidence varies between < 1 and > 20% depending on different risk factors and the kind of transplant. Despite several treatment regimens, including reduction of immunosuppression, antiviral drugs, adoptive immunotherapy and administration of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, the mortality rate is still high. Novel therapeutic strategies for managing PTLD use pharmacological induction of the viral thymidine kinase gene in tumour cells, the target of antivirals based on nucleoside analogues, followed by treatment with ganciclovir. Further treatment modalities include the development of vaccines and targeting of the latent EBV episomes. Prevention of PTLD by pre-emptive therapy based on molecular monitoring of EBV load will represent the main aim to reduce occurrence. This review examines patents and literature for the treatment of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative diseases.
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PMID:Recent developments in the prevention and treatment of Epstein-Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative diseases. 2179 52