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)

Although endothelial cell retraction is required before tumor cell invasion, its molecular mechanism still remains obscure. We previously demonstrated that conditioned medium (CM) derived from a human pancreatic cancer cell line, PSN-1, induced endothelial cell retraction and facilitated tumor cell invasion. To investigate the molecular change of events in the transduction of extracellular signals during endothelial cell retraction, we examined the effect of the CM derived from PSN-1 cells on the tyrosine phosphorylation in endothelial cells. Immunoblot analyses revealed that the PSN-1 CM decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of a 120-130 kD protein, and induced the concomitant down-regulation of focal adhesion kinase, pp125FAK, during endothelial cell retraction in time- and dose-dependent fashions. These changes preceded endothelial cell retraction and were reversible after removal of the CM. Further quantitative densitometric analyses demonstrated that the extent of decrease in tyrosine phosphorylated 120-130 kD protein during the endothelial cell retraction was likely to be proportional to that of the down-regulation of pp125FAK. A tyrosine phosphorylated 120-130 kD protein immunoprecipitated by anti-phosphotyrosine antibody immunoreacted with anti-pp125FAK antibody. These results suggested that decreased amount of a tyrosine phosphorylated 120-130 kD protein probably due to the down-regulation of pp125FAK might be associated with the signal transduction pathway in the endothelial cells during their retraction. Furthermore, these findings were also observed in the CM from another four human cancer cell lines, suggesting the down-regulation of pp125FAK in endothelial cells during tumor cell invasion.
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PMID:Down-regulation of focal adhesion kinase, pp125FAK, in endothelial cell retraction during tumor cell invasion. 956 42

Recent studies have suggested that cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors may play a role in the development and growth of pancreatic cancers. We detected the expression of mRNA encoding CCK-A and CCK-B receptors in eight human pancreatic tumour cell lines using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), but not by RNase protection assays. The K-ras gene, which can be activated by G-coupled protein receptors such as CCK receptors, was mutated in codon 12 in five of the cell lines. In addition, Mia PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells did not respond to CCK or gastrin in cell proliferation or focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation assays. In contrast, mouse NIH3T3 fibroblasts transfected with human CCK-B receptor (NIH3T3CCK-BR) showed increased proliferation and phosphorylation to the peptides. Also, radioligand binding studies indicated that Mia PaCa-2 cells had approximately 12.5-fold less CCK-B receptors than NIH3T3CCK-BR. Our results suggest that in Mia PaCa-2 cells, CCK receptors may not play a crucial role in supporting cell growth.
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PMID:Cholecystokinin receptors in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. 984 31

Recently, a demand for therapy of higher usefulness in cancer patients has increased. We described in this paper a therapeutic modality which is based on SRC (self-rescuing concept) featuring dual activity, i.e., effect-enhancing activity and adverse reaction-reducing activity. We presented the theory and practice of S-1, a novel oral fluoropyrimidine anti-cancer agent designed to enhance anticancer activity and reduce gastrointestinal toxicity through the deliberate combination of the following components: an oral fluoropyrimidine agent tegafur; a DPD inhibitor (CDHP) which is more potent than uracil used in UFT; and an ORTC inhibitor (Oxo) which localizes in the gastrointestinal tract. S-1, as a combination drug with a molar ratio of 1:0.4:1 in FT, CDHP, and Oxo, respectively. A clinical pharmacology study to examine blood concentrations of 5-FU after twice-a-day administration of S-1 at a dose 40 mg/m2. Consequently , blood concentrations of 5-FU were 60 to 200 ng/m/ in all twelve patients examined. The overall response rate was 44.6% (45/101). In addition, the incidence of adverse reactions judged to be G3 or higher was 10% or less. Furthermore, we referred to combination therapy with 5-FU (CIV)(5-FU: 250 to 350 mg/body, 24-hour CVI, consecutive days) and low-dose cisplatin (CDDP: 3 to 5 mg/body, iv, 5 days/week) in which CDDP was used as modulator of 5-FU. Low-dose FP therapy provided response rates as high as 40 to 60% in 163 patients with sorts of gastrointestinal cancers except pancreas cancer. The incidence of adverse reactions which were judged to be G3 or higher was 2.5% (4/163) in nausea and vomiting. The incidences of other adverse reactions were 1% or less. And to the theory and practice of combination therapy with 5-FU (CVI) 24-hour CVI; 5-FU: 750 to 1000 mg/body/day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; withdrawal on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) intermittent administration and low-dose CDDP (3 to 5 mg/body/day day 1-5/w) consecutive administration in which a difference in cell cycle between gastrointestinal mucosal cel l and tumor cell or between bone marrow cell and tumor cell was utilized . Little adverse reactions, e.g., diarrhea and stomatitis, were observed despite the overall response rate which was as high as 52.4% (22/42). We intend in the future to combine the above mentioned therapeutic modalities provoking less adverse reactions and being gentle to patients with cancer in an effort to further increase their life expectancy.
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PMID:Conceptual changes in cancer chemotherapy--biochemical modulation of 5-FU from bench to clinic. 1089 55

We hypothesized that the tolerance for nutrient deprivation as well as angiogenesis might be an important factor for tumor progression under hypovascular conditions. When normal human fibroblasts were subjected to extreme nutrient starvation by culturing in a medium without serum, glucose, and amino acids, cells died within 24 h. When substituted with liver cancer cell lines HepG2, Hep3B, HLE, and HuH-7, cell death occurred within 36 h. In contrast, four of six pancreas cancer cell lines, PANC-1, AsPC-1, BxPC-1, and KP-3, survived for remarkably longer periods; >50% of the cells survived, even after starvation for 48 h. Among three gastric cancer cell lines, MKN28, MKN45, and MKN74, only the most poorly differentiated MKN45 cells survived >36 h. More than 50% of the cells in colon cancer cell lines SW480, WiDr, and DLD-1 survived after 36 h, and the most undifferentiated SW480 cell line survived longest. We examined the possible involvement of PKB/Akt expression in the survival of various cell lines under nutrient starvation conditions. High expression of PKB/Akt was found to be associated with tolerance for nutrient starvation. When Akt antisense RNA expression vectors were introduced into PANC-1 cells, the tolerance was partially but significantly diminished by vectors for Akt1 and Akt2 but not Akt3. Because elimination of the tolerance might serve as a new strategy for cancer therapy, several compounds were tested for this purpose, and troglitazone, an insulin sensitizer, as well as LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, were found to kill PANC-1 cells only under nutrient starvation conditions.
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PMID:Remarkable tolerance of tumor cells to nutrient deprivation: possible new biochemical target for cancer therapy. 1108 46

Pancreatic cancer is resistant to almost all classes of cytotoxic agents. Gemcitabine seems to be the current drug of choice. We have recently reported that inhibition of the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) cell survival pathway by wortmannin enhances gemcitabine-induced apoptosis in cultured human pancreatic cancer cells (1). The present study investigated the effects of wortmannin on orthotopic human pancreatic cancer xenografts implanted in severe combined immunodeficient mice. Animals were given single i.v. bolus injections of 0.175, 0.35, or 0.7 mg/kg of wortmannin and killed at 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 h after treatment. Phosphorylated PKB/Akt levels in tumor tissues were measured by fluorescence image analysis. Wortmannin was found to inhibit PKB/Akt phosphorylation in a time- and dose-dependent manner, reaching a plateau at 4 h and at 0.7 mg/kg. The levels of phosphorylated PKB/Akt were maximally decreased by approximately 50% relative to the vehicle control. Subsequently, the extent of apoptosis in tumors treated with gemcitabine or wortmannin alone or in combination was determined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling assay and computerized image analysis. Orthotopic tumors exposed to 80 mg/kg gemcitabine for 48 h and then 0.7 mg/kg wortmannin for 4 h showed a 5-fold increase (P = 0.002) in apoptosis compared with those treated with each agent alone and with the vehicle control. The combination treatment also significantly (P < 0.001) inhibited tumor growth. Taken together, our findings support the potential of phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase inhibitors as adjuncts to conventional chemotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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PMID:Wortmannin inhibits pkb/akt phosphorylation and promotes gemcitabine antitumor activity in orthotopic human pancreatic cancer xenografts in immunodeficient mice. 1159 24

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is characterized by a paucity of neoplastic cells embedded in a densely desmoplastic stroma. Therefore, laser capture microdissection was performed to obtain homogeneous populations of normal and neoplastic ductal cells. These were subjected to a comparative study of gene expression utilizing human cDNA arrays. A variety of dysregulated genes were identified, comprising cell cycle and growth regulators, invasion regulators, signalling and developmental molecules. In addition to genes already found to be overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, such as TIMP1, MMP7, CD59, rhoC and NDKA, we present evidence to implicate genes which have not previously been reported in this tumour type. These include the overexpressed genes ABL2, Notch4 and SOD1, as well as XRCC1, a DNA repair gene whose transcript was found downregulated. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) was employed to confirm differential expression of ABL2, Notch4 and SOD1 and immunohistochemical analysis was used to verify decreased protein expression of XRCC1 using a custom-built pancreatic tissue array. Combining microarray-derived gene expression profiles of pure pancreatic cell populations, QRT-PCR and pancreas-specific tissue arrays therefore proved to be highly informative in elucidating the molecular pathology of this highly malignant tumour type.
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PMID:Expression profiling of microdissected pancreatic adenocarcinomas. 1208 37

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in North America. Gemcitabine improves the quality of life of patients but fails to significantly reduce mortality. Our laboratory has demonstrated previously that the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor wortmannin promotes gemcitabine antitumor activity (S. S. W. Ng et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 7: 3269-3275, 2001). The present study examined the effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor OSI-774 ("Tarceva") alone and in combination with wortmannin and/or gemcitabine on downstream signaling molecules, as well as apoptosis in primary pancreatic cancer xenografts implanted orthotopically in severely combined immunodeficient mice. Tumors established from two pancreatic cancer patients [Ontario Cancer Institute Pancreas number (OCIP#) 2 and OCIP#7] were treated with various combinations of the above three drugs and harvested for analyses of the following: the levels of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated forms of EGFR, protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), and the extent of apoptosis using immunofluorescence image analysis and TUNEL assay, respectively. OSI-774 alone significantly inhibited phosphorylation of EGFR in both of the primary xenografts. Phosphorylation of pERK decreased in OCIP#2, but not in OCIP#7. No significant effects on pPKB because of OSI-774 were observed in either tumor type. The extent of apoptosis was significantly increased by 2-fold in OCIP#2 tumors treated with gemcitabine and wortmannin in combination; an additional 2-fold increase in apoptosis was evident in the presence of OSI-774. Although wortmannin failed to enhance gemcitabine-induced apoptosis in OCIP#7 tumors, the extent of apoptosis was significantly increased with the inclusion of OSI-774 in the combination. Taken together, these findings support the use of OSI-774 plus a phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor in combination with gemcitabine in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
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PMID:Effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor OSI-774, Tarceva, on downstream signaling pathways and apoptosis in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. 1249 10

The network of enzymes that contribute to the signal transduction of extracellular factors in pancreatic cancer is ever increasing. The classical Raf-MEK-ERK signaling cascade plays a crucial role in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Phosphatidylinositide-3-kinase also contributes to growth and prevents apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells, acting in part via its downstream targets, PKB/AKT and the FRAP/p70s6k signaling complex. Recently, members of the PKC family of serine threonine kinases have emerged as novel modulators of transformation and cell cycle progression of pancreatic cancers. The novel PKD family of serine threonine kinases has just been detected in pancreatic cancer and awaits its functional characterization in these tumors.
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PMID:Novel protein kinases in pancreatic cell growth and cancer. 1262 11

Formin homology proteins with FH1 and FH2 domains are signaling effectors for assembly and polarization of actin filaments. FH1 is the binding domain for Profilin, SRC, EMS1/Cortactin, FNBP1, FNBP2, FNBP3, FNBP4 and WBP4/Fbp21, while FH2 is the actin-filament modification domain. Here, we identified and characterized a novel member of Formin-homology gene family, Diaphanous homology 3 (DIAPH3), by using bioinformatics. DIAPH3 isoform 1, corresponding to 3'-truncated FLJ34705 cDNA and 5'-divergent IMAGE5265490 cDNA, encodes full-length DIAPH3 protein (1112 aa), while DIAPH3 isoform 2, identical to NM_030932.2 cDNA, encodes N-terminally truncated DIAPH3 protein (849 aa). DIAPH3 isoform 1, consisting of exons 1-27, was expressed in lymph node, erythroid progenitor cells as well as in pancreatic cancer. DIAPH3 isoform 2, consisting of exons 1b and 8-27, was expressed in testis. DIAPH3 gene at human chromosome 13q21.2 was found to encode two isoforms due to alternative splicing of the alternative promoter type. Full-length human DIAPH3 protein, consisting of FDD, FH1 and FH2 domains, showed 51.3% total-amino-acid identity with DIAPH1, and 57.3% total-amino-acid identity with DIAPH2. FMNL1/FMNL, FMNL2/FHOD2, FMNL3/WBP3, DAAM1, DAAM2, DIAPH1, DIAPH2 and DIAPH3 were classified as the FDD-type Formin homology proteins, while GRID2IP/Delphilin, FHOD1, Fmn1 and Fmn2 were classified as the non-FDD-type Formin homology proteins. This is the first report on identification and characterization of human DIAPH3 gene.
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PMID:Identification and characterization of human DIAPH3 gene in silico. 1476 82

We have demonstrated recently that PTHrP is upregulated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and that the ECM exerts regulatory control, at least in part, over PTHrP expression. In our present study, we examined the potential signaling interactions between these 2 pathways. Our results demonstrate that, under serum-free conditions, adhesion of FG pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells on Fn is mediated by the alpha5beta1 integrin, whereas adhesion to Type I collagen is mediated by the alpha2beta1 integrin. alpha5beta1 integrin-mediated adhesion to Fn results in a phenotype that includes a reduction in cell proliferation, increased E-cadherin localization in cell-cell contacts, increased beta-catenin localization throughout the cell, inhibition of haptokinetic cell migration, and increased expression of PTHrP, IL-6 and IL-8 relative to alpha2beta1 integrin-mediated adhesion on Type I collagen. A phosphoprotein immunoblotting screen of FG pancreatic cancer cells grown on either Fn or Type I collagen indicates that GSK3 and PKB/Akt are differentially phosphorylated on these 2 substrates. These results implicate GSK3 and PKB/Akt in the integrin-mediated regulation of PTHrP, IL-6 and IL-8 in pancreatic cancer.
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PMID:GSK3 and PKB/Akt are associated with integrin-mediated regulation of PTHrP, IL-6 and IL-8 expression in FG pancreatic cancer cells. 1560 21


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