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)

Human colorectal carcinomas have been demonstrated to express a variety of growth factors and their cognate receptors, forming multi-autocrine, juxtacrine and/or paracrine loops. Little information, however, is available on their expression in early colorectal carcinomas in which two genetic pathways exist, i.e. adenoma-carcinoma sequence and de novo carcinoma. This study was conducted in a total of 68 early colorectal carcinomas invading the submucosa, which were subdivided into two categories by the presence of adenomatous components, namely (a) 38 carcinomas with an adenomatous component and (b) 30 carcinoma without an adenomatous component. The tumous were also classified as polypoid, flat elevated and flat depressed type. Formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded specimens were immunostained for epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha(TGFalpha), cripto, EGF-receptor(EGFR) and c-ERBB2 gene product. Of the 68 early colorectal carcinomas, EGF, TGF-alpha, cripto, EGFR and c-ERBB2 products were detected at various degrees 24(35%), 50(74%), 31(46%), 11(16%), and 34(50%), respectively. The expression was compared between 35 polypoid carcinomas with an adenoma component (suitable for adenoma-carcinoma sequence), 14 flat carcinomas without an adenoma component (possible de novo carcinomas). A significantly higher incidence (P < 0.05) of expression of the following was noted; TGF-alpha in the polypoid carcinomas with an adenoma component, and EGF and c-ERBB2 gene product in the carcinomas without an adenoma component. There was no significant difference in the incidence of cripto and EGFR, implying common events between two categories. These results indicate that two pathways exist in tumourigenesis, in which the growth factors and their receptors are expressed in different manners. TGF-alpha might play a crucial role in carcinomas arising from adenoma, while EGF and c-ERBB2 gene products are strongly indicative of de novo carcinomas.
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PMID:Expression of growth factors and their receptors in human early colorectal carcinomas: immunohistochemical study. 866 84

Major advances in understanding growth factor biology, especially in epithelial cells, have resulted from work with TGF-alpha over the past decade. It is clear that TGF-alpha is a potent epithelial oncoprotein, but equally important biological activities in normal epithelial homeostasis have been described. A number of major challenges lie ahead. Foremost is the formidable task of dissecting out the individual contributions of each EGF-related peptide in the biological response to stimulation of the EGFR. Appreciation of the complexity of heterodimerization of receptors within the EGFR family will be equally important in the final analysis. These considerations assure the continued vitality and productivity of investigation of the EGF-related peptide/EGFR axis.
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PMID:Transforming growth factor-alpha. 873

The Ras protein is involved in tyrosine kinase signal transduction pathway steps such as EGFR signalling. Most human pancreatic carcinomas harbor a point mutation of K-ras oncogene and overexpress transforming TGF-alpha. We studied how K-ras gene mutation could influence the EGFR signal transduction mechanism and the autonomous proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma cells, using PANC-1 human pancreatic carcinoma line and W1-38 normal human fibroblast cell line as a control. PANC-1 cells responded to neither EGF nor exogenous TGF-alpha, although anti-TGF-alpha MAb suppressed their growth. Expression of TGF-alpha mRNA was detected only in PANC-1 cells, which confirmed EGFR being within an autocrine loop. Ras protein and MAP kinase were constitutively activated in PANC-1 cells so that the cells did not respond to treatment with staurosporine or herbimycin A, and exhibited slight response to EGF stimulation. PANC-1 cells harbored K-ras gene mutation in codon 12. In contrast, EGF stimulation induced an elevation of GTP-bound ratio to Ras protein and an activation of MAP kinase with accelerated growth in W1-38 cells. From these findings, we concluded that K-ras gene mutation possibly plays an important role in the autonomous proliferation of PANC-1 pancreatic carcinoma cells, and that an autocrine loop represented by TGF-alpha and EGFR may further accelerate the growth of PANC-1 cells.
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PMID:An effect of K-ras gene mutation on epidermal growth factor receptor signal transduction in PANC-1 pancreatic carcinoma cells. 876 May 97

Transgenic mice expressing either the neu proto-oncogene or transforming growth factor (TGF-alpha) in the mammary epithelium develop spontaneous focal mammary tumors that occur after a long latency. Since the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Neu are capable of forming heterodimers that are responsive to EGFR ligands such as TGF-alpha, we examined whether coexpression of TGF-alpha and Neu in mammary epithelium could cooperate to accelerate the onset of mammary tumors. To test this hypothesis, we interbred separate transgenic strains harboring either a mouse mammary tumor virus/TGF-alpha or a mouse mammary tumor virus/neu transgene to generate bitransgenic mice that coexpress TGF-alpha and neu in the mammary epithelium. Female mice coexpressing TGF-alpha and neu developed multifocal mammary tumors which arose after a significantly shorter latency period than either parental strain alone. The development of these mammary tumors was correlated with the tyrosine phosphorylation of Neu and the recruitment of c-Src to the Neu complex. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses with EGFR- and Neu-specific antisera, however, failed to detect physical complexes of these two receptors. Taken together, these observations suggest that Neu and TGF-alpha cooperate in mammary tumorigenesis through a mechanism involving Neu and EGFR transactivation.
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PMID:Synergistic interaction of the Neu proto-oncogene product and transforming growth factor alpha in the mammary epithelium of transgenic mice. 881 86

The carcinogenic and metastatic processes are thought to consist of a sequence of steps, and animal models featuring highly metastatic lesions are clearly necessary to allow analysis of the whole process of transformation from preneoplastic changes to high grade metastatic tumors, and to access effectiveness of therapeutic treatments of advanced cancers in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to establish a model and to screen for reported genetic alterations in induced lesions. In the present study, it was confirmed that lung metastasis of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) induced in male F344 rats by N-nitrosomorpholine (NNM), given in the drinking water at a dose of 120 ppm for 24 weeks, was significantly enhanced by additional carcinogenic pretreatments and that a single i.p. injection of 100 mg/kg body weight N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN) alone was sufficient for that purpose. Molecular biological analyses of the induced lesions revealed point mutations in the p53 gene in 60.9% of HCCs, and elevated expression of mRNAs for p53, c-myc, c-fos, TGF-alpha, TGF-beta1, alpha-fetoprotein, GST-P, and GGT, and decreased mRNA expression of EGF and EGFR in HCCs when compared to controls. No obvious association of gene alterations with metastatic potential of primary tumors was found except for an increase in the incidence of p53 mutations. Since the process of metastasis is thought to be sequential and selective, further comparative analysis of metastatic and primary lesions should clarify the mechanisms involved in the multi-step process of metastasis.
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PMID:Highly metastatic hepatocellular carcinomas induced in male F344 rats treated with N-nitrosomorpholine in combination with other hepatocarcinogens show a high incidence of p53 gene mutations along with altered mRNA expression of tumor-related genes. 902 67

Morphology and immunohistochemical features of the developmental process of the human intrahepatic biliary system (IBS) are reviewed. Human IBS arises from the ductal plate, a double-layered cylindrical structure located at the interface between portal mesenchyme and primitive hepatocytes. The ductal plate first appears from primitive hepatocytes (hepatoblasts) around 8 gestational weeks (GW), and its formation proceeds from the hepatic hilum to the periphery. The ductal plate gradually undergoes remodeling from 12 GW; some parts of the ductal plate disappear and other parts migrate into the portal mesenchyme. Around 20 GW, the migrated duct cells transform into immature bile ducts and peribiliary glands. Some immature peribiliary glands transform into pancreatic acinar cells around postnatal 3 months. The immature biliary elements express cytokeratins no. 7, 8, 18 and 19. Several growth factors (TGF-alpha, HGF) and their receptors (EGFR, MET, ERBB2) were expressed in the primitive IBS cells. Some extracellular matrix proteins including type IV collagen, laminin and tenascin are expressed in the mesenchyme around the primitive IBS. During IBS remodeling, apoptosis and cell proliferation occur with appropriate expression of apoptosis-related proteins (bcl-2, Fas, c-myc, Lewis(y)). Some pancreatic digestive enzymes (alpha-amylase, trypsinogen, lipase), cathepsin B, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, 2, 3, 9) and their inhibitors (TIMP-1, 2) are expressed in the remodeling IBS cells. Glycoconjugate residues of glycoproteins gradually appear during IBS development. The appropriate expression of these immunophenotypes may play an important role in the normal development of IBS.
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PMID:Normal and abnormal development of the human intrahepatic biliary system: a review. 914 36

Prostate carcinoma (PCA) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in American men. Our knowledge of PCA growth regulation lags behind that of other cancers, such as breast and colon carcinomas. Among receptor tyrosine kinases, the ErbB family is most frequently implicated in neoplasia. We report here the expression of ErbB family kinases and their ligands in PCA cell lines and a xenograft. While ErbB1/EGFR, ErbB2/NEU, and ErbB3 were always observed in a distinct pattern, ErbB4 was not observed. Interestingly, while TGF-alpha was expressed in the majority of PCA lines, the ligand Neu Differentiation Factor/Heregulin (NDF) was expressed only in an immortalized, non-transformed prostate epithelial line. Concomitantly, there was a significant difference in biological response to these ligands. NDF inhibited LNCaP growth and induced an epithelial-like morphological change, in contrast to TGF-alpha, which accelerated cell growth. We also performed the first comprehensive analysis of NDF signaling in a prostate line. LNCaP stimulated with NDF demonstrated crosstalk between ErbB3 and ErbB2 which did not involve ErbB1. NDF also turned on several cascades, including those of PI3-K, ERK/MAPK, mHOG/p38 and JNK/SAPK, but not those of PLCgamma or the STAT family. This signaling pattern is distinct from that of TGF-alpha. The activation of mHOG by ErbB2 or ErbB3 has not been reported, and may contribute to the unusual phenotype. PI3-K activation is characterized by the formation of a striking 'activation complex' with multiple tyrosine-phosphorylated species, including ErbB3. Our studies provide a framework in which to dissect the growth and differentiation signals of prostate cancer cells.
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PMID:ErbB kinases and NDF signaling in human prostate cancer cells. 940 Sep 97

Malignant human gliomas are the most common forms of primary tumors in the central nerve system. Due to their location and invasive nature, treatment so far has been mainly palliative. Thus, understanding the molecular detail of tumor transformation and progression is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategy for this fetal tumor. Among the genetic alternations found in these tumors, p53 inactivation and PDGF/PDGFR activation represent the early events, and the loss of chromosome 10 and gene amplification and rearrangement of EGFR represent the late events. Studies with both glioma cell lines and primary tumor tissues have strongly suggested that TGF-alpha and EGFR function as an important autocrine loop in supporting proliferation of human glioma, especially in high grade glioma, since elevated TGF-alpha expression is also found in these high grade tumors. Furthermore, down regulation of the expression of TGF-alpha by antisense constructs has been shown to inhibit several types of human tumor cell growth including glioma. Other means of therapeutic approaches using this autocrine loop as a target also include the use of monoclonal antibodies and their cytotoxic conjugated. Considerable understanding of the EGFR-mediated signal transduction pathways has become available recently, which including GRB2/mSOS1 mediated MAP kinase activation; JAK/STATs pathway; PLC-gamma pathway. However, much work still needs to be done before a specific component of these pathways can be applied for effective control of tumor growth in the clinic.
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PMID:The autocrine loop of TGF-alpha/EGFR and brain tumors. 944 27

Over-expression of erbB-2 is associated with shortened survival of patients with lung adenocarcinomas. We demonstrated that human lung epithelial cells, overexpressing erbB-2, formed tumours in nude mice only when high levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha were produced (E6T cells). To define the role that TGF-alpha production played in induction of tumorigenicity, a non-tumorigenic TGF-alpha-negative clone of ErbB-2 overexpressing cells (E2 cells) was transfected with an expression vector for TGF-alpha (E2alpha cells). Transfected clones produced TGF-alpha at 11-25% of the level produced by the E6T cell line. Tumorigenic E6T cells transfected with a TGF-alpha antisense vector (E6TA cells) expressed only 6% of the TGF-alpha level of the parental cells. Clones of E6T, E6TA, E2 and E2alpha were inoculated into athymic nude mice to measure tumorigenic potential. E6T cells formed tumours with a 70% efficiency. E2, E6TA and E2alpha cells failed to form tumours. The levels of EGFR were similar in non-tumorigenic E2 and tumorigenic E6T cells but higher in E2alpha and E6TA cells, and ErbB-2 were greatly overexpressed in an E2alpha clone. In vitro, ErbB-2 co-immunoprecipitated with EGFR in lysates of unstimulated E6T and E2alpha TGF-alpha-producing cells, indicating that the lower TGF-alpha levels were sufficient to induce in vitro heterodimerization. These studies suggest that induction of the tumorigenic phenotype depends on achieving a threshold level of TGF-alpha sufficient to activate downstream signalling by ErbB-2 containing active heterodimers.
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PMID:The role of transforming growth factor alpha production and ErbB-2 overexpression in induction of tumorigenicity of lung epithelial cells. 956 41

Experimental data suggest that dysregulation of growth factors and the cognate receptors may play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis. The objective of the present study was to characterize the expression of two hepatotrophic growth factor/receptor systems [transforming growth factor-alpha/epidermal growth factor receptor (TGF-alpha/EGFR) and hepatocyte growth factor/c-met receptor (HGF/c-met)], both of which are implicated in the development of human liver tumors. In addition, we have analyzed the expression of transforming growth factor-beta receptor type II (TGF-beta-RII) and p53, genes associated with growth inhibition and tumor suppression, respectively. Surgical biopsy specimens from 86 human hepatocellular carcinomas were analyzed. TGF-alpha was overexpressed in 17%, equally expressed in 21%, and down-regulated in 62% of the hepatocellular carcinomas when compared to the surrounding hepatic tissue. No major changes were found with EGFR expression. HGF was over-expressed in 33% and down-regulated in 21% of the tumors. The c-met receptor was overexpressed in 20%, equally expressed in 48%, and down-regulated in 32% of the neoplasms. In contrast, TGF-beta-RII was overexpressed in only 8%, equal in 42%, and down-regulated in 50% of tumors. Nuclear staining of p53, indicative of a mutation(s), was observed in the great majority of the tumors (80%), whereas no nuclear p53 was detected in peritumoral tissues. Interestingly, simultaneous down-regulation of c-met and TGF-beta-RII was observed in 23% of the hepatocellular carcinomas, 85% of which also showed nuclear p53 staining. Taken together, our data suggest that down-regulation of c-met and TGF-beta-RII may, together with p53 mutations, play a significant role in human liver carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Analysis of transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha/epidermal growth factor receptor, hepatocyte growth Factor/c-met,TGF-beta receptor type II, and p53 expression in human hepatocellular carcinomas. 981 84


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