Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.10.1 (ERK)
95,504 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pre-eclampsia is one of the most common causes of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. High blood pressure and proteinuria are important clinical signs of pre-eclampsia. Sympathetic overactivity and elevated level of circulating vaso active substances, such as monoamines has been shown. Extracellular concentrations of monoamines are normally kept low by specific transporter proteins of which many are expressed in the placenta. In this study we used in situ hybridization and real-time PCR to study the gene expression of monoamine transporters, such as NET, SERT, VMAT2, EMT and OCT1/2, in normal as well as in pre-eclamptic placentae. We demonstrated high expression of NET mRNA in the trophoblast cells of the anchoring villi and a lower expression intensity in the chorionic villi. SERT mRNA was mainly detected in chorionic villi. VMAT2 mRNA was not detected in the central part of the placenta but was present in the spiral arteries of placenta bed biopsies, in cytokeratin positive cells. EMT mRNA was mainly detected in the intra lobular septa and together with OCT1 and OCT2 mRNAs also expressed in scattered cells of placental vessel adventitias. Moreover, quantitative analysis showed a significant lower expression of NET and EMT mRNAs in pre-eclamptic placentae as compared to the control group. A defective gene expression or function of these monoamines transporters might explain the elevated concentrations of monoamines in pre-eclamptic patients. Monoamine transporters may serve as a protective mechanism preventing vasoconstriction in the placental vascular bed and thereby securing a stable blood flow to the fetus.
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PMID:Norepinephrine transporter (NET), serotonin transporter (SERT), vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) and organic cation transporters (OCT1, 2 and EMT) in human placenta from pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnancies. 1513 35

This is the first report in the English literature of a composite endometrial tumor composed of papillary serous carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. A 79-year-old woman underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and left salpingo-oophorectomy due to endometrial carcinoma. Grossly, the uterus was enlarged with an irregular and nodular serosal surface, thickened myometrium, and irregular endometrium. Microscopic examination revealed an endometrial carcinoma composed of papillary serous carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. There was a differential immunoreactivity between the two components: the cells of the papillary serous carcinoma were positive for cytokeratin, CA-125, CEA, and HER-2/Neu, whereas these markers were negative in the small cell carcinoma. Various neuroendocrine markers were positive in the small cell carcinoma and negative in the papillary serous carcinoma. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis using 4, 8, and 10 centromeric probes revealed hyperploidy (6-8 signals) in the small cell carcinoma cells. Most of the serous carcinoma cells were euploid, with scattered trisomies and tetrasomies of these chromosomes. The patient died of progressive disease 5 months after surgery. We suggest that the small cell carcinoma may have arisen from the endometrial papillary serous carcinoma undergoing tumor progression with neuroendocrine differentiation.
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PMID:An unusual composite endometrial tumor combining papillary serous carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. 1525 20

The presence of isolated tumor cells in the bone marrow (ITC-BM) of breast cancer patients is an independent prognostic parameter, indicating hematogenous tumor cell dissemination. While the HER2 status of breast cancer tissue has predictive value for the efficacy of different therapies, its prognostic relevance is controversial. To investigate the relationship between HER2 and ITC-BM, we retrospectively analyzed tumor tissues of 327 patients who underwent bone marrow aspiration at primary diagnosis or during the disease-free interval. Screening for ITC-BM was performed immunocytochemically, using the anti-cytokeratin antibody A45 B/B3. HER2 was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with the antibody CB 11 (n = 277) and by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH, PathVision, Vysis, n = 206). ITC-BM were found in 83 of 327 patients (25.4%), with a median of 2.0 per 2 x 10(6 ) mononuclear cells. HER2 positivity (2+ /3+ ) was demonstrated in 18.8% of the tumors, amplification by FISH in 56 of 206 cases (27.2%). Established pathological parameters,tiviathological parameters, such as tumor size (p = 0.15), lymph node status (p = 0.93) and HER2 did not predict the presence of ITC-BM. After a median follow-up of 49 months (1-255), the presence of ITC-BM was a significant prognostic factor for distant disease free and overall survival, as well in univariate (log-rank-test, p = 0.024) as in multivariate analysis (cox-regression, p = 0.033 ). This also was confirmed in subgroups of patients by aease free survival (p = 0.013) and local recurrence (p = 0.003). The detection of ITC-BM is superior in predicting overall survival, compared to the HER2 status of the primary tumor. The direct identification of HER2 on ITC-BM is the aim of ongoing research, potentially synergizing the prognostic relevance of ITC-BM and the predictive value of the HER2 status.
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PMID:Comparative analysis between the HER2 status in primary breast cancer tissue and the detection of isolated tumor cells in the bone marrow. 1537 52

Only 10 cases of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the breast have been reported in the literature. This report adds one more case to the published literature. A 62-year-old woman presented with a mass in her left breast on physical examination. The mammographic images showed a 3.0 cm, poorly defined mass in the upper outer quadrant. A biopsy was recommended. The gross specimen consisted of a 5 cm portion of breast parenchyma with no discrete tumor. On microscopic examination, the tumor was composed of sheets of epithelioid cells arranged as single cells or in cords partially obscured by a dense lymphocytic infiltrate. The epitheliod cells extensively expressed cytokeratin stain, but did not express E-cadherin. The lymphoid cells expressed L26 stain in the germinal centers, and CD3 stain in the T lymphocytes surrounding the germinal centers and in between tumor cells. In situ hybridization showed no evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection in the tumor cells. An overall review of 11 cases shows that the disease is usually seen in older patients. In situ and invasive lobular component was reported in 36% of the cases. Eight of 11 were negative for E-cadherin, 36% were estrogen receptor-positive, 18% were progesterone receptor-positive, and all of them were HER2/neu negative. None of the reported cases have been associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. Only two of the cases showed lymph node metastasis, and long-term follow-up in one of them showed good prognosis. In summary, lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the breast is a tumor with a good prognosis that should be considered as a possible diagnosis in breast tumors with an intense lymphocytic infiltrate.
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PMID:Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the breast: report of a case mimicking lymphoma. 1549 40

Rhabdoid tumor of the thyroid gland is a very rare neoplasm, characterized by significant metastatic potential. All of the 6 cases reported in the recent literature had poor outcomes. We report an additional case involving, to our knowledge, the oldest patient reported so far. A 67-year-old woman had a nodular goiter for all of her adult life and presented with a rapidly growing mass in the right lobe. Histologic examination showed a highly cellular neoplasm with a solid infiltrative growth pattern. Extracapsular invasion was evident. Rhabdoid cells were large, with abundant cytoplasm, eosinophilic inclusions, and eccentric nuclei containing distinct nucleoli. Immunohistochemistry identified vimentin, sarcomeric actin, myoglobin, and cytokeratin expression in the tumor cells; they were negative for desmin, thyroglobulin, and calcitonin. Scattered follicles with nuclear features of papillary thyroid carcinoma were detected; these cells were immunoreactive for thyroglobulin and TTF-1. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 fusion genes identified a RET/PTC3 gene rearrangement in the rhabdoid tumor. Despite radiotherapy, the neoplasm rapidly progressed, with massive local and mediastinal metastasis leading to death 5 months after presentation. The hypothesis that rhabdoid tumor is a variant of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is supported by the identification of a RET/PTC gene rearrangement, a feature of carcinomas of follicular cell derivation.
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PMID:Rhabdoid tumor of the thyroid gland: a variant of anaplastic carcinoma. 1573 50

Metastasis-the spread of tumour cells from a primary lesion to distant organs-is the main cause of cancer-related death, and bone marrow (BM) is a frequent site for the settlement of disseminated tumour cells. Many BM samples harbour isolated tumour cells, whereas tumour cell clusters, as the potential precursors of solid distant metastases, are rarely detected after current enrichment procedures. We have analysed BM samples from 43 patients with carcinomas of the breast, colon and ovaries; 41 of these patients had no clinical signs of overt metastases (stage M0). Tumour cells in BM were enriched with immunomagnetic beads coupled to monoclonal antibodies against both EpCAM and HER2/neu. After enrichment, tumour cells were identified by immunostaining with the anti-cytokeratin antibody A45-B/B3. In total, 886 CK-positive cells were detected in 16 (35%) samples after immunomagnetic enrichment as compared to 34 cells in 9 (21%) samples using Ficoll density centrifugation previously used as the standard enrichment technique. Most remarkably, clusters of 2 to 10 CK-positive cells were found in 75% of CK-positive samples enriched by immunobeads, whereas no CK-positive cell clusters were detected after Ficoll enrichment. The method described offers an excellent tool for the enrichment of micrometastatic tumour cell clusters; these clusters may represent the initial stage of development from a single disseminated tumour cell towards an overt metastasis.
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PMID:Bi-specific immunomagnetic enrichment of micrometastatic tumour cell clusters from bone marrow of cancer patients. 1590 31

Human breast carcinomas represent a heterogeneous group of tumors diverse in behavior, outcome, and response to therapy. However, the current system of pathological classification does not take into account biologic determinants of prognosis. The purpose of this study was to classify and characterize breast carcinomas based on variations in protein expression patterns derived from immunohistochemical analyses on tissue microarrays (TMAs). Therefore, 11 TMAs representing 168 invasive breast carcinomas were constructed. Breast tumors were classified into four different subtypes depending on estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2 expression. Basal-type tumors expressed neither of these proteins and represented 7.6% of our series; basal-like HER2-overexpressing tumors did not express ER and represented 17.7%; luminal-type tumors expressed ER and represented 72.8% of this series (luminal A 56.3%, luminal B 16.5%). Moreover, we characterized each subtype based on P-cadherin (P-CD), p63, cytokeratin (CK)5, BCL2, and Ki67 expression. Basal-type tumors were mostly grade III, more frequently P-CD-, p63-, and CK5-positive, and had a high proliferation rate. Conversely, luminal-type tumors rarely expressed basal markers and had a low grade and proliferation rate. Basal-like HER2-overexpressing tumors showed a basal-type profile similar with a high grade and up-regulation of P-CD and CK5. With this study, we show that P-CD, p63, and CK5 are important molecular markers that can be used to distinguish a basal phenotype. In addition, we also demonstrate the usefulness of TMAs in breast carcinoma immunoprofiling.
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PMID:p63, cytokeratin 5, and P-cadherin: three molecular markers to distinguish basal phenotype in breast carcinomas. 1601 53

Gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors (GIMTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. RCAS1 (receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells) is a cancer cell-surface antigen and has been identified as a prognostic factor in several cancer types. It is thought that tumor cells escape immune attack by expressing RCAS1, which induces apoptosis in receptor-positive immune cells. The current study was designed to elucidate the histogenesis of these tumors by using various immunohistochemical markers, and identify parameters that will help to establish the criteria of malignancy in the GIMT. We also discuss the clinicopathological significance of RCAS1 expression in the diagnosis and prognosis of GIMTs. A total of 70 cases of GIMTs were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry was performed between 1990 and 2000, with the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method on 3 microm-thick sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of GIMTs. Antibodies to the following antigens were used: KIT (CD117), CD34 alpha-SMA, Desmin, cytokeratin, S-100 protein, p53, and RCAS1. Recurrence-free survival analysis was done with Stat View-J 5.0 statistical packages. Univariate analysis for a recurrence-free prognosis demonstrated that antibody detection of p53 expression (p=0.0333) and expression of RCAS1 (p=0.0008) is correlated with a significantly higher potential of recurrence. On multivariate analysis, tumor size and RCAS1 expression were independently and inversely correlated with recurrence-free survival. The expression of RCAS1 has not previously been reported in GIMT; indeed, our study suggests that the expression of RCAS1 is correlated with recurrence not only in carcinomas, but also in mesenchymal tumors.
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PMID:A clinical and immunohistochemical study on gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumor (GIMT): RCAS1 as a predictor for recurrence of GIMT. 1621 Dec 75

Activating mutations in the K-ras gene are genetic alterations frequently found in human carcinomas, particularly in pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Mutation of the K-ras gene is thought to be an early and important event in pancreatic tumor initiation, but the precise role of the mutant K-Ras proteins in neoplastic progression is still unknown. In the present study, we have characterized the influence of oncogenic K-Ras on the phenotype and on the signal transduction of epitheloid PANC-1 pancreatic carcinoma cells by generating PANC-1 cell clones, which stably express EGFP(enhanced green fluorescent protein)-K-Ras (V12). EGFP-K-Ras (V12)-expressing cells exhibited a more fibroblastoid cellular phenotype with irregular cell shape and disorganized cytokeratin filaments. Moreover, these cells showed a marked enhancement of their migratory and invasive properties. Stable expression of EGFP-K-Ras (V12) down-regulated the activity of Rac1 and RhoA, resulting in reduced subcortical actin filaments and stress fibers, which might contribute to the epithelial dedifferentiation. Characterization of the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinases revealed that EGFP-K-Ras (V12) enhanced the activity of p38, but did not affect the activities of the Raf/MEK/ERK cascade and JNK. While inhibition of either MEK or JNK activity had no effect on EGFP-K-Ras (V12)-induced migration, inhibition of p38 activity markedly reduced EGFP-K-Ras (V12)-induced migration. Collectively, the results suggest that oncogenic K-Ras enhances the malignant phenotype and identify the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 as a target to inhibit oncogenic K-Ras-induced pancreatic tumor cell migration.
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PMID:Oncogenic K-Ras down-regulates Rac1 and RhoA activity and enhances migration and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells through activation of p38. 1625 81

Since genetic abnormalities of human cancer are greatly geographically dependent, cultural and environmental backgrounds are thought to be closely related to the carcinogenic process. In the present study, eight human cell lines were established by culture from untreated carcinomas of the oral cancer, of which five were from primary oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSC), one from a mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and one each originating from metastatic OSC and MEC. All the studied tumor lines grew as monolayers, and showed: i) an epithelial origin by the presence of cytokeratin, and ii) tumorigenic potential in nude mice. Western blot analysis revealed i) over expression of EGFR in six of the cell lines ii) decreased expression of E-cadherin in six cell lines compared to normal human oral mucosa. A mutational analysis showed: point mutations of p53 at exon 7, with transversion, and at exon 8, with transition. These well-characterized human YD cell lines should serve as useful tools in the study of the molecular pathogenesis and biological characteristics of head and neck cancer cells, and in the future testing of new therapeutic reagents for oral cancer.
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PMID:Characterization of newly established oral cancer cell lines derived from six squamous cell carcinoma and two mucoepidermoid carcinoma cells. 1626 62


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