Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Angiopoietins are ligands for the endothelial cell tyrosine kinase receptor Tie-2. Ang-1, the major physiological activator of Tie-2, promotes blood vessel maturation and stability. Ang-2 counteracts this effect by competitively inhibiting the binding of Ang-1 to Tie-2. Using a combined RNase protection/semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction approach, we demonstrate that hypoxia up-regulates Ang-2 mRNA levels by up to 3.3-fold in two human endothelial cell lines. In bovine microvascular endothelial (BME) cells, the flavoprotein oxidoreductase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) and the related compound iodonium diphenyl mimic induction of Ang-2 but not vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by hypoxia; in combination with hypoxia, DPI further increases Ang-2 expression but has no effect on the induction of VEGF by hypoxia. Neither Ang-2 or VEGF was increased by cyanide or rotenone, suggesting that failure in mitochondrial electron transport is not involved in the oxygen-sensing system that controls their expression. In ischemic rat dorsal skin flaps or in the brain of rats maintained for 12 hours under conditions of hypoxia, Ang-2 mRNA was up-regulated 7.5- or 17.6- fold, respectively. VEGF was concomitantly increased, whereas expression of Ang-1, Tie-2, and the related receptor Tie-1 was unaltered. In situ hybridization localized Ang-2 mRNA to endothelial cells in hypoxic skin. These findings 1) show that up-regulation of Ang-2 by hypoxia occurs widely in endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo; 2) suggest that induction of Ang-2, but not VEGF, by hypoxia in BME cells is controlled by a flavoprotein oxidoreductase that is sensitive to iodonium compounds; and 3) point to Ang-2 and VEGF as independently regulated and selective effectors of hypoxia-induced vascular sprouting.
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PMID:Hypoxia-inducible angiopoietin-2 expression is mimicked by iodonium compounds and occurs in the rat brain and skin in response to systemic hypoxia and tissue ischemia. 1085 29

Tumors require a blood supply for growth and hematogenous metastases. Until recently, most research in this area has focused on the role of angiogenesis, the recruitment of new vessels into a tumor from preexisting vessels. Previously, in a study of breast cancer (IBC), in which we used established inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) xenografts (WIBC-9) originating from a patient with IBC (Shirakawa et al., Cancer Res 2001:61:445-451), we reported observing vasculogenic mimicry (VM), a condition in which bloodstreams within cancer tissue are not accompanied by a lining of endothelial cells (ECs) (Shirakawa et al., Cancer Res 2002:62:560-566). In the present study, we examined 331 surgically resected breast cancer specimens for evidence of VM, using immunohistochemistry and laser-captured microdissection (LCM) followed by nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Surprisingly, 7.9% (26 specimens) of the 331 specimens exhibited evidence of VM. Of these 26 VM specimens, 84.6% (22 specimens) exhibited pseudo-comedo formation. RT-PCR analysis of 8 microdissected typical VM specimens revealed expression of Tie-2, Flt-1, thrombin receptor and CD31 in 63, 50, 0 and 0% of specimens, respectively. In contrast, results of RT-PCR analysis of 8 specimens from non-VM tumors were negative for expression of these genes. The 26 VM cases tended to have a higher percentage of hematogenous recurrence (p = 0.059) and a lower percentage of 5-year survival (p = 0.071) than the 305 non-VM cases. However, there were no significant differences in tumor size, lymph node metastasis, estrogen receptors or progesterone receptors between the 2 groups (p > 0.1). Our results suggest that the existence of VM increases the likelihood of hematogenous metastases and is in inverse proportion to prognosis.
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PMID:Vasculogenic mimicry and pseudo-comedo formation in breast cancer. 1211 83

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), a newly discovered ligand of the endothelial-specific tyrosine kinase receptor Tie-2, has been found to promote cell survival, vascular maturation, and stabilization. We hypothesized that Ang-1 gene transfer to the pulmonary microcirculation would improve pulmonary hemodynamics and vascular remodeling in experimental pulmonary hypertension. Rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells were transfected with Ang-1 cDNA or null (pFLAG-CMV-1) vector. Syngeneic Fisher 344 rats were treated with monocrotaline (MCT) (75 mg/kg IP) with or without delivery of 5x10(5) Ang-1-transfected cells into the right jugular vein. After 28 days, plasmid-derived Ang-1 mRNA was consistently and robustly detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in lungs from all animals receiving Ang-1 gene therapy. Tie-2 receptor expression was markedly downregulated in rats treated with MCT, and this was partially restored by gene therapy with Ang-1. Animals receiving MCT exhibited 77% mortality by 28 days. In contrast, in pAng-1-treated animals, the 28-day mortality was only 14% (P<0.0001). In addition, right ventricular systolic pressure was reduced from 52+/-1.3 mm Hg in the MCT-treated group to 38+/-1.3 mm Hg by Ang-1 gene transfer (P<0.01), whereas the measurement of right to left ventricular plus septal weight ratio was also reduced from 0.41+/-0.03 to 0.31+/-0.01 (P<0.05). Moreover, MCT resulted in increased apoptosis, mainly in the microvasculature, and reduced endothelial NO synthase mRNA expression, both of which were prevented by Ang-1 gene transfer. Thus, cell-based gene transfer with Ang-1 improved survival and pulmonary hemodynamics in experimental pulmonary hypertension by a mechanism involving the inhibition of apoptosis and protection of the pulmonary microvasculature.
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PMID:Protective role of angiopoietin-1 in experimental pulmonary hypertension. 1275 Mar 4

Most tumors have constitutively active tissue factor on their surface, capable of generating thrombin in the surrounding environment, and thrombosis is associated with cancer. Thrombin is known to induce a malignant phenotype by enhancing tissue adhesion and cell growth in vitro and in vivo in mice. Because tumors require angiogenesis for growth, we examined whether thrombin induces neoangiogenesis in a physiologically intact in vivo model. Thrombin (0.1 U mL-1) induced neoangiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane over a 24-72-h period by approximately 2-3-fold. This was inhibited by the potent thrombin inhibitor, hirudin and shown to have its mode of action by ligation of the thrombin protease-activated receptor, PAR-1. The thrombin receptor activation peptide, SFLLRNPNDKYEPF (200 microm) also enhanced neoangiogenesis c. 2-3-fold. Thrombin-induced neoangiogenesis was accompanied by the induction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) mRNA at 24-48 h (approximately 2-fold) as determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Thrombin-induced neoangiogenesis was inhibited to baseline level by the specific angiogenesis receptor inhibitors KDR-Fc (vs. VEGF) and Tie-2-Fc (vs. Ang-1 and Ang-2), as well as the non-specific angiogenesis inhibitor thrombospondin-1. Thrombin-induced neoangiogenesis was also inhibited to baseline level by agents known to inhibit thrombin receptor signaling in other cells: G-coupled protein receptor inhibitor, pertussis toxin (40 pg per egg), protein kinase C inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide (1 microm per egg), MAP kinase inhibitor, PD980598 (10 microm per egg) and PI3 kinase inhibitor, LY294002 (0.25 microm per egg). Thus angiogenesis is stimulated by thrombosis, which could help explain the enhancement of experimental tumorigenesis by thrombin.
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PMID:Thrombin induces neoangiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane. 1452 87

Human angiogenin is a 14-kDa secreted protein with angiogenic and ribonucleolytic activities. Angiogenin is associated with tumour development but is also present in normal biological fluids and tissues. To further address the physiological role of angiogenin, we studied its expression in situ and in vitro, using the human term placenta as a model of physiological angiogenesis. Angiogenin was immunodetected by light and transmission electron microscopy, and its cellular distribution was established by double immunolabelling with cell markers including von Willebrand factor, platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), CD34, Tie-2, vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGF-R2), erythropoeitin receptor (Epo-R), alpha-smooth muscle actin, CD45, cytokeratin 7, and Ki-67. Angiogenin immunoreactivity was detected in villous and extravillous trophoblasts, the trophoblast basement membrane, the endothelial basal lamina, foetal blood vessels, foetal and maternal red blood cells, and amnionic cells. Its expression was confirmed by in situ hybridisation with a digoxygenin-labelled cDNA probe and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification. Villous cytotrophoblasts, isolated and differentiated in vitro into a functional syncytiotrophoblast, expressed and secreted angiogenin. Given its known biological activities in vitro and its observed pattern of expression, these data suggest that, in human placenta, angiogenin has a role not only in angiogenesis but also in vascular and tissue homeostasis, maternal immune tolerance of the foetus, and host defences.
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PMID:Angiogenin distribution in human term placenta, and expression by cultured trophoblastic cells. 1516 1

Human fetal cord blood contains subsets of mononuclear cells with the potential to form both hematological and endothelial cells. Vascular progenitor cells, which can produce all three elements of mature blood vessels, including smooth muscle, have been identified in animals. We hypothesized that similar multipotential progenitor cells exist in humans and used the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) to identify such cells in fetal cord blood. Mononuclear cell preparations were isolated from human umbilical cord blood and CD34(+) and CD133(+) cells obtained by magnetic bead separation. Isolated cells were cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes with medium containing vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor. mRNA was extracted, and the expression of alpha-SMA and a number of endothelial cell markers (VEGFR-2, vWF, eNOS, VE-Cadhein, PECAM-1 and Tie-2) was determined by reverse transcriptase-PCR techniques. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used as positive controls. Freshly isolated CD34(+) and CD133(+) cells expressed all endothelial cell markers, but did not express alpha-SMA. HUVECs expressed alpha-SMA. Following 4 weeks of culture, CD34(+) isolates produced morphologically endothelial-like cells that expressed both endothelial cell markers and alpha-SMA. CD133(+) cells failed to produce morphological endothelial-like cells but expressed a range of endothelial markers. However, they did not express alpha-SMA. Following culture in an endothelial cell-promoting environment, CD34(+), but not CD133(+), isolates produced endothelial-like cells that expressed alpha-SMA. Human fetal cord blood contains a population of cells that may differentiate toward both an endothelial and a smooth muscle phenotype in culture.
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PMID:Smooth muscle alpha-actin expression in endothelial cells derived from CD34+ human cord blood cells. 1558 9

Capillary supply of skeletal muscle decreases during denervation. To gain insight into the regulation of this process, we investigated capillary supply and gene expression of angiogenesis-related factors in mouse gastrocnemius muscle following denervation for 4 months. Frozen transverse sections were stained for alkaline phosphatase to detect endogenous enzyme in the capillary endothelium. The mRNA for angiogenesis-related factors, including hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), kinase insert domain-containing receptor/fetal liver kinase-1 (KDR/Flk-1), fms-like tyrosine kinase (Flt-1), angiopoietin-1 and tyrosine kinase with Ig and epidermal growth factor(EGF) homology domain 2 (Tie-2), was analysed using a semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The fibre cross-sectional area after denervation was about 20% of the control value, and the capillary to fibre ratio was significantly lower in denervated than in control muscles. The number of capillaries around each fibre also decreased to about 40% of the control value. These observations suggest that muscle capillarity decreases in response to chronic denervation. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of VEGF mRNA was lower in denervated than in control muscles, while the expression of HIF-1alpha mRNA remained unchanged. The expression levels of the KDR/Flk-1 and Flt-1 genes were decreased in the denervated muscle. The expression levels of angiopoietin-1 but not Tie-2 genes were decreased in the denervated muscle. These findings indicate that reduction in the expression of mRNAs in the VEGF/KDR/Flk-1 and Flt-1 as well as angiopoietin-1/Tie-2 signal pathways might be one of the reasons for the capillary regression during chronic denervation.
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PMID:Capillary supply and gene expression of angiogenesis-related factors in murine skeletal muscle following denervation. 1570 74

Expansion of the thyroid microvasculature is the earliest event during goiter formation, always occurring before thyrocyte proliferation; however, the precise mechanisms governing this physiological angiogenesis are not well understood. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry to measure gene expression and laser Doppler to measure blood flow in an animal model of goitrogenesis, we show that thyroid angiogenesis occurred into two successive phases. The first phase lasted a week and involved vascular activation; this process was thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-independent and was directly triggered by expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by thyrocytes as soon as the intracellular iodine content decreased. This early reaction was followed by an increase in thyroid blood flow and endothelial cell proliferation, both of which were mediated by VEGF and inhibited by VEGF-blocking antibodies. The second, angiogenic, phase was TSH-dependent and was activated as TSH levels increased. This phase involved substantial up-regulation of the major proangiogenic factors VEGF-A, fibroblast growth factor-2, angiopoietin 1, and NG2 as well as their receptors Flk-1/VEGFR2, Flt-1/VEGFR1, and Tie-2. In conclusion, goiter-associated angiogenesis promotes thyroid adaptation to iodine deficiency. Specifically, as soon as the iodine supply is limited, thyrocytes produce proangiogenic signals that elicit early TSH-independent microvascular activation; if iodine deficiency persists, TSH plasma levels increase, triggering the second angiogenic phase that supports thyrocyte proliferation.
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PMID:Iodine deficiency induces a thyroid stimulating hormone-independent early phase of microvascular reshaping in the thyroid. 1827 86

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been explained by accelerated atherosclerosis and impaired angiogenesis, in which endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) may play key roles. Circulating cells with endothelial progenitor phenotype have not been evaluated in children with ESRD. Using a quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach, we measured endothelial-specific and progenitor-associated genes VE-cadherin (VE-C), CD146, CD31, tyrosine-protein kinase receptor (Tie-2), Flk1, CD133, and growth factors promoting EPC function, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), erythropoietin (EPO), and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the blood of pediatric patients undergoing hemodialysis and after transplantation. Patients' metabolic parameters were correlated with EPC marker gene levels. Compared with controls, circulating VE-cadherin, CD146, Flk1, VEGF, and EPO RNA levels were decreased in ESRD and normalized in transplanted patients. Levels of VE-cadherin, which were the most significantly reduced in ESRD (p = 0.001) inversely correlated in all of the patient population with serum urea and creatinine concentration, whereas among the ESRD group showed an inverse correlation with diastolic blood pressure (BP), interventricular septum thickness (IVST), and left ventricular mass index. Pediatric ESRD patients may have lower angiogenic potential and increased cardiovascular morbidity, because of decreased expression of circulating endothelial cell specific transcripts. Prospective studies are required to link this expression pattern and its restoration in transplanted patients to cardiovascular outcome.
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PMID:Molecular evaluation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in children undergoing hemodialysis and after kidney transplantation. 1885 88

Lipodermatosclerosis refers to skin induration of the lower extremities characterized by tortuous, hyperpermeable vessels preceding venous leg ulcerations. Protein ligands and receptor tyrosine kinases that specifically regulate endothelial cell function are mainly involved in physiological as well as in disease-related angiogenesis. These ligand/receptor systems include the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the angiopoietin (Ang) families and their receptor the tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin-like domains (Tie-2) as well as the VEGF receptor family (VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2). In the present study, the contribution of these endothelium-specific ligand/receptor systems in tissue samples of lipodermatosclerosis was evaluated. Our results provide evidence, that the mRNA-transcripts of VEGF (p<0.01), Ang-1 (p<0.1), Ang-2 (p<0.1) and VEGF-R1 (p<0.01) were significantly upregulated in all samples of lipodermatosclerosis in comparison with healthy skin by using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. On protein level VEGF (p<0.01), Ang-1 (p<0.1), Ang-2 (p<0.1) and VEGF-R1 (p<0.01) were significantly elevated as well. Solely for Tie-2 and for VEGF-R2 no statistical difference could be detected on mRNA and protein level in patients with lipodermatosclerosis in comparison with healthy skin. By immunohistochemistry we confirmed upregulated protein expression for VEGF, Ang-1, Ang-2 and VEGF-R1 compared with healthy skin. Our findings strongly suggest that an imbalance between these ligand/receptor systems might contribute to the pathophysiology of advanced stages of chronic venous insufficiency. Inhibition of angiogenesis could significantly impact the tissue breakdown in lipodermatosclerosis and could hereby enable the formation of venous leg ulcerations.
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PMID:Inhibition of angiogenesis in lipodermatosclerosis: implication for venous ulcer formation. 1978 98


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