Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.10.2 (focal adhesion kinase)
 44,029 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To clarify whether various nuclei of the amygdaloid complex play different roles in aggressive behavior including muricide, 4 types of aggression were experimentally induced in rats. These include olfactory bulbectomy (OB rats), midbrain raphe lesions (Raphe rats), administration of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC rats) and long-term isolation (Iso rats). Rats which exhibited muricide following these treatments were subjected to bilateral lesions of either the medial (AME), central (ACE) or basolateral (ABL) amygdaloid nuclei. Both muricide and hyperemotionality in the OB rat were markedly inhibited by AME lesions. Those of the Iso and THC rats were moderately inhibited. However, in the Raphe rat, aggressive behavior was not inhibited by AME lesions. Furthermore, ACE or ABL lesions caused no significant changes in all 4 models of aggression. These results suggest that the AME plays a facilitatory role in aggression of OB, Iso and THC rats, but aggression in Raphe rat is independent of amygdaloid activity.
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PMID:Differential effects of medial, central and basolateral amygdaloid lesions on four models of experimentally-induced aggression in rats. 628 23

Inactivations of tumor suppressor genes are the most common genetic alterations in prostate adenocarcinoma. Such inactivations are frequently accompanied by loss of portions of the chromosome on which the tumor suppressor gene resides. Loss of portions of both 10p and 10q have been identified in a significant percentage of prostate carcinomas, as well as other malignant neoplasms, and such losses are associated with advanced clinical stage and aggressive behavior in these neoplasms. The PTEN tumor suppressor gene has recently been identified as an important tumor suppressor gene at 10q23. This gene encodes a dual specificity protein phosphatase which interacts with and controls the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a key regulator of signal transduction via focal adhesions. Such focal adhesions are the site at which integrins cluster following interactions with extracellular matrix ligands and interact with both cytoskeletal proteins and signal transduction molecules to effect key processes such as cell migration, spreading and proliferation. The PTEN gene is inactivated in a significant proportion of prostate carcinomas, particularly metastatic prostate cancers. There is also evidence from studies of loss of heterozygosity that at least one additional tumor suppressor gene for prostate cancer is present on the distal portion of 10q. Similarly, both functional studies and direct analysis of human tumors strongly support the idea that at least one, and possibly two, tumor suppressor genes for prostate cancer are present on 10p. Given that inactivations of tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 10 are associated with advanced clinical stage in prostate cancer these genes are attractive candidates both as prognostic markers and as potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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PMID:Chromosome 10 alterations in prostate adenocarcinoma (review). 976 64

Forty-one patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease or intermediate or high-grade lymphoma, after having received standard salvage chemotherapy, were treated with a nonablative high-dose regimen of paclitaxel, etoposide and cyclophosphamide (D-TEC) to optimally cytoreduce their disease and simultaneously mobilize peripheral blood stem cells. This regimen produced a response rate of 78% (35% complete and 43.2% partial response) and mobilized sufficient peripheral blood stem cells in 94% of the patients. Thirty-two of these patients then underwent autologous progenitor cell transplantation after ablative conditioning with busulfan, etoposide and cyclophosphamide. Actuarial overall survival at 61 months was 71.9% with an event-free survival (EFS) of 65.6%. Median EFS was 24.4 months. EFS of patients responsive to salvage chemotherapy was 75% at 61 months, compared to 33.3% at 51.4 months in patients resistant to salvage chemotherapy. EFS of patients with disease sensitive to D-TEC was 75% at 61 months compared to 0% at 13.1 months in patients resistant to D-TEC. In a multivariate analysis, the only significant parameter for transplant outcome was sensitivity to D-TEC (p = 0.016), but not sensitivity to standard salvage chemotherapy. Aggressive cytoreduction may permit even those patients who are resistant to standard salvage chemotherapy to become successful transplant candidates.
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PMID:Cytoreduction and stem cell mobilization with a regimen of paclitaxel, etoposide and cyclophosphamide followed by autologous transplantation using a preparative regimen of busulfan, etoposide and cyclophosphamide for patients with advanced lymphoma. 1152 96

The tyrosine kinase (TK) family includes many growth factor receptors, cell cycle regulators, and oncoproteins. Moreover, the receptor TKs HER2/neu and epidermal growth factor receptor are overexpressed in a subgroup of breast tumors and correlate with more aggressive behavior. Thus, TKs are being actively pursued as therapeutic targets. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression pattern of TKs in breast cancer. Reverse transcription-PCR was performed with degenerate primers based on conserved motifs of the catalytic domains of TKs, and the identities of the reverse transcription-PCR products were determined by digestion with a panel of restriction enzymes. Using a TK display assay, we studied the TK profiles of 13 breast cancer cell lines and two normal immortalized breast epithelial cell lines. The TK display assay reproducibly demonstrated known differences in HER-2/neu expression between cell lines. Several TKs, including receptor TKs Axl, Cak, fibroblast growth factor receptor 4, HEK8, HER2/neu, c-MET, RET, and nonreceptor TKs ARG, BRK, Janus kinase 1, Rak, and YES were detected in breast cancer cells. Several kinases were differentially expressed among the cell lines. Similar TK profiles were found using RNA from human breast tumors. We conclude that there is significant variability in the TK expression pattern of breast cancers. This variability should be considered when selecting TK inhibitors to treat patients.
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PMID:Expression profile of tyrosine kinases in breast cancer. 1183 50

We have recently identified signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5) as a critical survival factor for prostate cancer cells. We now report that activation of Stat5 is associated with high histological grade of human prostate cancer. Specifically, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation with activation of Stat5 and high Gleason score in 114 human prostate cancers. To investigate the mechanisms underlying constitutive activation of Stat5 in prostate cancer, a dominant-negative mutant of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) was delivered by adenovirus to CWR22Rv cells. Dominant-negative-Jak2 effectively blocked the activation of Stat5 whereas wild-type Jak2 enhanced activation, indicating that Jak2 is the main kinase that phosphorylates Stat5 in human prostate cancer cells. A ligand-induced mechanism for activation of Stat5 in prostate cancer was suggested by the ability of prolactin (Prl) to stimulate activation of both Jak2 and Stat5 in CWR22Rv human prostate cancer cells and in CWR22Rv xenograft tumors. In addition, Prl restored constitutive activation of Stat5 in five of six human prostate cancer specimens in ex vivo long-term organ cultures. Finally, Prl protein was locally expressed in the epithelium of 54% of 80 human prostate cancer specimens with positive correlation with high Gleason scores and activation of Stat5. In conclusion, our data indicate that increased activation of Stat5 was associated with more biologically aggressive behavior of prostate cancer. The results further suggest that Jak2 is the principal Stat5 tyrosine kinase in human prostate cancer, possibly activated by autocrine/paracrine Prl.
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PMID:Activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 in human prostate cancer is associated with high histological grade. 1525 46

Overexpression of cyclin E in breast tumors is associated with a poor response to tamoxifen therapy, greater genomic instability, more aggressive behavior, and a poor clinical prognosis. These tumors also express low molecular weight isoforms of cyclin E that are associated with higher kinase activity and increased metastatic potential. In the current study, we show that cyclin E overexpression in MCF7 cells transactivates the expression of calpain 2, leading to proteolysis of cyclin E as well as several known calpain substrates including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), calpastatin, pp60src, and p53. In vivo inhibition of calpain activity in MCF7-cyclin E cells impedes cyclin E proteolysis, whereas in vivo induction of calpain activity promotes cyclin E proteolysis. An analysis of human breast tumors shows that high levels of cyclin E are coincident with the expression of the low molecular weight isoforms, high levels of calpain 2 protein, and proteolysis of FAK. Lastly, studies using a mouse model of metastasis reveal that highly metastatic tumors express proteolyzed cyclin E and FAK when compared to tumors with a low metastatic potential. Our results suggest that cyclin E-dependent deregulation of calpain may be pivotal in modifying multiple cellular processes that are instrumental in the etiology and progression of breast cancer.
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PMID:Cyclin E both regulates and is regulated by calpain 2, a protease associated with metastatic breast cancer phenotype. 1632 14

nm23-H1, a nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), enhances drug sensitivity and has antimetastatic activity, whereas focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is closely associated with cell migration and tumour spreading. The relationship between these two proteins, however, is not well elucidated. In this study, we investigate their correlation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expressions of nm23-H1 and FAK were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting in surgical resections. The relationship between these two genes was assessed statistically. Patients were classified into four groups according to the expression of nm23-H1 and FAK by immunohistochemistry: FAK-negative/nm23-H1-positive, FAK-negative/nm23-H1-negative, FAK-positive/nm23-H1-positive and FAK-positive/nm23-H1-negative. Although the causal correlation is still uncertain, our results showed that protein expression of nm23-H1 was inversely correlated with that of FAK. The combined analysis of nm23-H1 and FAK protein expression in the same tumour specimens revealed that patients with FAK-negative/nm23-H1-positive tumours survived the longest, 56 months, among those with nm23-H1 and FAK features (P<0.001). Our data indicate that expressions of nm23-H1 and FAK are inversely correlated. These results suggest that the status of nm23-H1 and FAK protein expression may help in predicting the aggressive behavior of NSCLC. However, further studies are warranted to clarify the impact of FAK on the function of nm23-H1 as an anti-metastatic gene.
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PMID:Prognostic significance of expression of nm23-H1 and focal adhesion kinase in non-small cell lung cancer. 1754 50

The treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has been revolutionized by the development of the small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib. The primary target for this drug is the oncogenic BCR-ABL kinase. Five-year survival rates for patients in chronic phase CML is now greater than 80%. Patients who have advanced beyond the chronic phase to the accelerated phase or blast crisis, however, have not faired as well. Progression occurs for a variety of reasons, including late diagnosis, slow response to imatinib, and the development of imatinib-resistant clones. Imatinib resistance has, in part, been addressed with the introduction of the new BCR-ABL inhibitors, namely dasatinib and nilotinib. These drugs have shown efficacy in CML patients with wild-type BCR-ABL and some BCR-ABL mutants that are imatinib-resistant. Unfortunately, some BCR-ABL mutations remain resistant to these therapies and will require the development of alternative treatments, and other mechanisms of imatinib resistance besides BCR-ABL mutation exist. In the future, genetic and pharmacologic tests may allow the clinician to predict response to imatinib. More aggressive therapies are being considered for high-risk patients, including increased dosage of the current tyrosine kinase inhibitors, along with combination therapies. Aggressive therapy holds promise, as the data suggest that responses are improved. Unfortunately, toxicities are also increased, and thus a balance must be found to ensure safety and compliance. This is especially important for young CML patients, who hopefully will remain in remission for decades. Polymerase chain reaction analysis has become of primary importance as a means of assessing disease burden, and given the idiosyncrasies of this technique, standards must be established to allow results to be compared across different institutions. Additionally, the nature of advanced disease is being explored. Intriguingly, genetic analysis of transformed blasts from patients in blast crisis has identified numerous members of the Wnt/B-catenin pathway and JunB as being activated. Increased activity of these pathways correlates with poor response and eventual disease progression. In addition to these data, evidence is emerging associating survival of the quiescent blast cell with Wnt activity, leading to the hope that Wnt inhibitors will increase the likelihood of eradicating these cells. Other areas such as microRNA profiling and DNA methylation patterns are likely to provide important information.
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PMID:Optimizing outcomes for patients with advanced disease in chronic myelogenous leukemia. 1834 28

The state of child and adolescent overall health in the United States evidences the need for both prevention and treatment. Although much time and energy has been spent in recent years discussing and improving health benefit coverage and affordability for children, physical access to services has not kept pace with these changes. This article will introduce four major physical health issues (obesity, diabetes, asthma, and teen pregnancy/STD) and five key mental health issues (suicide, depression, ADHD, aggression, and violence) facing young people today. In an effort to answer the question, "What can be done?" school-based health clinics and their impact on health and educational outcomes are examined.
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PMID:Bridging the gap from availability to accessibility: providing health and mental health services in schools. 1919 36

The organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3; synonymous: extraneuronal monoamine transporter, EMT, Slc22a3) encodes an isoform of the organic cation transporters and is expressed widely across the whole brain. OCTs are a family of high-capacity, bidirectional, multispecific transporters of organic cations. These also include serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine making OCTs attractive candidates for a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety disorders. OCT3 has been implicated in termination of monoaminergic signalling in the central nervous system. Interestingly, OCT3 mRNA is however also significantly up-regulated in the hippocampus of serotonin transporter knockout mice where it might serve as an alternative reuptake mechanism for serotonin. The examination of the behavioural phenotype of OCT3 knockout mice thus is paramount to assess the role of OCT3. We have therefore subjected mice lacking the OCT3 gene to a comprehensive behavioural test battery. While cognitive functioning in the Morris water maze test and aggression levels measured with the resident-intruder paradigm were in the same range as the respective control animals, OCT3 knockout animals showed a tendency of increased activity and were significantly less anxious in the elevated plus-maze test and the open field test as compared to their respective wild-type controls arguing for a role of OCT3 in the regulation of fear and anxiety, probably by modulating the serotonergic tone in limbic circuitries.
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PMID:Decreased anxiety in mice lacking the organic cation transporter 3. 1928 Jan 14


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