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
Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (
RNA polymerase
)
34,946
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
KAI1, a metastasis suppressor gene of prostate cancer, is located on human chromosome 11p11.2. Down-regulation of KAI1 mRNA during
tumor progression
and metastasis has been reported for several kinds of cancer, but the mechanism of this down-regulation is not known. In the present study, our aim was to ascertain the relationship between down-regulation of KAI1 mRNA expression and KAI1 gene alterations in lung cancer. Forty-nine cases of adenocarcinoma of the lung were studied by reverse-
transcriptase
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of KAI1 mRNA and by immunohistochemical detection of KAI1 protein. In addition, markers of the microsatellite loci D11S1344 and D11S1326 were used to investigate loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and replication errors (RERs) of the KAI1 gene region. The RT-PCR assay showed that there was no correlation between KAI1 mRNA expression and either the age of the patients or tumor size. By contrast, KAI1 mRNA expression was significantly correlated with gender (P=0.047), metastasis to the lymph nodes or other organs (P=0.004), the histological grade of the tumor (P=0.036) and the pathological stage (P=0.049). Immunohistochemical staining showed that in one case without metastasis, loss of KAI1 mRNA was associated with invasion of the stroma by KAI1 protein-negative cancer cells. The numbers of informative cases by microsatellite analysis were 14 (28.6%) of 49 at D11S1344 and 27 (55.1%) of 49 at D11S1326; none of 49 adenocarcinomas showed LOH or RERs at these loci. These results suggest that down-regulation of KAI1 mRNA expression rarely if ever involves LOH or RERs of the KAI1 gene region in primary lung adenocarcinoma.
...
PMID:Down-regulation of KAI1 messenger RNA expression is not associated with loss of heterozygosity of the KAI1 gene region in lung adenocarcinoma. 1055 26
Because the crucial role of angiogenesis has been demonstrated in tumor growth and metastasis, the present study was undertaken to characterize the relative expression of vascular endothelial growth factors VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), VEGF-B, VEGF-C, and their receptors KDR (kinase insert domain-containing receptor), FLT-1 (fms-like tyrosine kinase), and FLT-4 in human colonic cancers, in relation to the Astler-Coller pathological classification, and to prognosis. VEGF and VEGF-B gene expression was quantified by Northern blot in 72 tumor samples matched with control tissues. VEGF gene expression was 1.4 times higher in adenocarcinomas than in control tissues (p = 0.02), but did not increase further between Astler-Coller tumor stages A and D, and did not correlate with disease recurrence for patients at stages B2 or C. In adenomas, VEGF mRNA levels were not significantly different from those in the paired control colonic mucosa. The expression pattern of VEGF isoforms, mainly identified by RT-PCR (reverse-
transcriptase
-coupled polymerase chain reaction) as VEGF121 and VEGF165 and to a lesser extent VEGF189, was comparable in tumor and control tissues. VEGF-B mRNA levels were unchanged during the
neoplastic progression
of colonic mucosa. In contrast to KDR and FLT-4, the expression of VEGF-C and FLT-1 genes increased in some pathological tissues. These results provide evidence that the early and sustained increase in VEGF transcripts and the expression of multiple angiogenic factors and receptors contribute to the development of colon cancer, and thus constitute a putative target for anti-angiogenic drug therapy.
...
PMID:Vegf, Vegf-B, Vegf-C and their receptors KDR, FLT-1 and FLT-4 during the neoplastic progression of human colonic mucosa. 1073 43
The ends of linear chromosomes are capped by specialized nucleoprotein structures termed telomeres. Telomeres comprise tracts of noncoding hexanucleotide repeat sequences that, in combination with specific proteins, protect against degradation, rearrangement, and chromosomal fusion events. Due to the polarity of conventional DNA synthesis, a net loss of telomeric sequences occurs at each cell division. It has been proposed that this cumulative telomeric erosion is a limiting factor in replicative capacity and elicits a signal for the onset of cellular senescence. To proliferate beyond the senescent checkpoint, cells must restore telomere length. This can be achieved by telomerase, an enzyme with reverse-
transcriptase
activity. This enzyme is absent in differentiated somatic tissues, but telomerase reactivation has been detected in most tumors. Much investigative effort is focusing on telomere dynamics with a view to possible manipulation of cellular proliferative potential. In this article, we review the role of telomeres and telomerase in senescence and
tumor progression
, and we discuss the potential use of telomerase in diagnosis and treatment.
...
PMID:Role of telomerase in cell senescence and oncogenesis. 1077 53
Reverse-
transcriptase
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with multiple markers has been demonstrated to be highly sensitive in detecting metastatic cells in peripheral blood of malignant melanoma (MM) patients, and the circulating MM cells to be significantly correlated with disease stages. We further evaluated the presence of specific PCR-positive mRNA markers in peripheral blood as well as in regional nodes as an expression of
tumor progression
. Peripheral blood samples from 317 MM patients with either localized (n = 219) or metastatic (n = 98) disease were processed to obtain total cellular RNA. RT-PCR was performed using tyrosinase (TYR), p97, and MelanA/MART1 as mRNA markers. PCR products were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridization. In addition, paraffin-embedded samples of histologically proven tumor-negative lymph nodes from the subset of patients with localized disease were analyzed by RT-PCR, using radiolabeled primers for TYR and MelanA/MART1. The presence of mRNA markers was significantly correlated with tumor burden with a good correlation between risk of recurrence (evaluated in stage I-III patients) and increasing number of PCR-positive markers (p = 0.0002). Currently, for each patient, PCR results obtained at different times during follow-up are being analyzed, and any variation in the number of PCR-positive markers is being correlated to the clinical status. Molecular screening of histologically negative nodes for the presence of metastatic MM cells is also under evaluation. Preliminary assessment of a subset of MM patients with higher risk of recurrence will require longer follow-up in order to define the role of RT-PCR in monitoring these patients.
...
PMID:Clinical significance of PCR-positive mRNA markers in peripheral blood and regional nodes of malignant melanoma patients. Melanoma Cooperative Group. 1109 47
Malignant melanoma is one of the most rapidly increasing cancer types, and patients with metastatic disease have a very poor prognosis. Detection of metastatic melanoma cells in circulation may aid the clinician in assessing
tumor progression
, metastatic potential, and response to therapy. Tyrosinase is a key enzyme in melanin biosynthesis. The gene is actively expressed in melanocytes and melanoma cells. Melan A is a differentiation antigen that is expressed in melanocytes. The presence of these molecules in blood is considered a marker for circulating melanoma cells. In this study, we analyzed the usefulness of this marker combination in evaluating the response to therapy in the blood of 30 patients with malignant melanoma. Circulating cells were detected by a reverse-
transcriptase
-polymerase-chain reaction. The tyrosinase expression was observed in 9 (30%) patients and Melan A in 19 (63.3%) patients before therapy. Following treatment, the tyrosinase mRNA was detected in only one patient, while Melan A transcripts were still present in 14 patients. We suggest that this molecular assay can identify circulating melanoma cells that express melanoma-associated antigens and may provide an early indication of therapy effectiveness.
...
PMID:Detection of circulating melanoma cells by a two-marker polymerase chain reaction assay in relation to therapy. 1268 15
The underlying molecular mechanisms leading to microsatellite alteration and mutations in human lung cancer remain unknown. Since Flap endonuclease1 (Fen1), which functions in the base excision repair system, has been shown to be involved in
tumor progression
of mouse models with microsatellite instability in a haplo-insufficient manner, we performed expression and mutation analyses for FEN1 in human lung cancer cell lines. Reverse
transcriptase
PCR analysis revealed that all 49 lung cancer cell lines (20 small cell lung cancers (SCLCs) and 29 non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs)) expressed FEN1. In addition, microarray analysis showed that FEN1 expression was elevated significantly by 1.65-fold (P=0.001) in SCLC cell lines compared to normal lung controls (normal human lung cultures and immortalized normal human bronchial epithelial cell lines). FEN1 protein was abundantly expressed in all 23 lung cancer cell lines (10 SCLCs and 13 NSCLCs) and was expressed at lower levels in three of four normal lung epithelial culture controls. Direct sequencing of genomic DNAs revealed no FEN1 mutation in seven SCLCs and nine NSCLCs. As part of this analysis we discovered and sequenced a FEN1 pseudogene (GenBank accession #AY249897) located at 1p22.2. This pseudogene is amplified from cDNA preparations contaminated with genomic DNA and must be taken into account in any FEN1 mutation analysis studies. Our results suggest that alterations of FEN1 are not likely to contribute to development of lung cancer.
...
PMID:Increased expression and no mutation of the Flap endonuclease (FEN1) gene in human lung cancer. 1456 54
There have been few studies regarding
cancer progression
from differentiated thyroid carcinoma to the undifferentiated one. To examine the possible involvement of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in this progression, 10 papillary carcinomas and 11 undifferentiated carcinomas were subjected to mRNA in situ hybridization, indirect immunofluorescence staining, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and reverse-
transcriptase
PCR. mRNA in situ hybridization using a BamHIW probe revealed signals in all of the examined samples, although the signal strength was weaker in the papillary carcinomas than in the undifferentiated carcinomas. EBV nuclear antigen-2 (EBNA2) in situ hybridization produced almost the same results; however, the signals were detected less frequently in the papillary carcinomas. Indirect immunofluorescence using anti-EBNA2, anti-latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1), and anti-BZLF1 antibodies also showed positive results with high frequency and with more prominent fluorescence in undifferentiated carcinomas than in papillary carcinomas. An examination of thyroid carcinoma cell lines also confirmed these findings. EBV infected all of the thyroid carcinomas irrespective of the degree of pathological differentiation. The expression of EBV, especially of EBNA2 and LMP1 (both of which are oncogene products of EBV), was stronger in the undifferentiated carcinomas than in the papillary carcinomas. These results suggest that increased expression of EBV may be involved in the progression of thyroid papillary carcinoma to undifferentiated carcinoma.
...
PMID:Expression of Epstein-Barr virus in thyroid carcinoma correlates with tumor progression. 1465 19
The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) promotes
tumor progression
through activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. MMP-9 is a gelatinase secreted by both cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells, and it contributes to TNF-alpha-stimulated tumor invasion and metastasis. Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), the catalytic component of positive transcription elongation factor-b, phosphorylates serine 2 residues in the C-terminal domain of
RNA polymerase II
for productive transcription elongation and is up-regulated upon exposure to various stresses. This study investigated roles of CDK9 in TNF-alpha-stimulated MMP-9 expression in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. CDK9 activity was inhibited using three different strategies, including the CDK9 pharmacological inhibitor 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), a dominant-negative CDK9, and a CDK9-specific small interfering RNA. All three approaches reduced TNF-alpha-mediated accumulation of MMP-9 in the conditioned media as demonstrated by gelatin zymography. In contrast, transforming growth factor-beta1-induced accumulation of MMP-2 was unaffected by DRB. Expression of the MMP-9 gene was examined using reverse transcription real time PCR and using a transient transfection assay to evaluate MMP-9 promoter activity. DRB reduced the TNF-alpha-induced increase in MMP-9 mRNA levels but did not effect transforming growth factor-beta1-induced MMP-2 mRNA expression. Consistently DRB and dominant-negative CDK9 completely abrogated TNF-alpha-stimulated human MMP-9 promoter activity. TNF-alpha did not regulate expression or localization of CDK9 or its regulatory partner Cyclin T. However, TNF-alpha stimulated CDK9 binding to Cyclin T and MMP-9 gene occupancy by both CDK9 and the serine 2-phosphorylated form of
RNA polymerase II
. Our findings indicate that CDK9 mediates TNF-alpha-induced MMP-9 transcription. Disruption of TNF-alpha signaling using CDK9 inhibitors could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy against tumor invasion and metastasis.
...
PMID:Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 is required for tumor necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. 1552 90
Overexpression of procathepsin D (pCD) is reported to occur in numerous types of cancer and is associated with increased growth and metastasis. It has been established that pCD affects multiple stages of
tumor progression
including proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Previously, we showed that the mitogenic effect of pCD on cancer cells is mediated by interaction of its activation peptide (AP) with yet unidentified cell surface receptor. In this investigation, gene expression profiles were compared between AP-treated and control human breast cancer ZR-75-1 cells to elucidate the mechanism of AP mitogenicity. Several differentially expressed genes involved in signal transduction, regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, tumor invasion and metastasis were identified using microarray technology. These findings, including overexpression of NF-kappaB2, were confirmed in breast cancer cell lines by reverse-
transcriptase
PCR (RT-PCR). Understanding the mechanism of pCDs effect on breast cancer cells could extend possibilities of breast cancer treatment in the future.
...
PMID:Effect of procathepsin D activation peptide on gene expression of breast cancer cells. 1616 59
A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease (ADAM) are transmembrane proteases displaying multiple functions. ADAM with ThromboSpondin-like motifs (ADAMTS) are secreted proteases characterised by thrombospondin (TS) motifs in their C-terminal domain. The aim of this work was to evaluate the expression pattern of ADAMs and ADAMTS in non small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and to investigate the possible correlation between their expression and
cancer progression
. Reverse
transcriptase
-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses were performed on NSCLC samples and corresponding nondiseased tissue fragments. Among the ADAMs evaluated (ADAM-8, -9, -10, -12, -15, -17, ADAMTS-1, TS-2 and TS-12), a modulation of ADAM-12 and ADAMTS-1 mRNA expression was observed. Amounts of ADAM-12 mRNA transcripts were increased in tumour tissues as compared to the corresponding controls. In sharp contrast, ADAMTS-1 mRNA levels were significantly lower in tumour tissues when compared to corresponding nondiseased lung. These results were corroborated at the protein level by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. A positive correlation was observed between the mRNA levels of ADAM-12 and those of two vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A isoforms (VEGF-A(165) and VEGF-A(121)). Taken together, these results providing evidence for an overexpression of ADAM-12 and a lower expression of ADAMTS-1 in non-small-cell lung cancer suggest that these proteases play different functions in
cancer progression
.
...
PMID:Expression of a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM and ADAMTS) enzymes in human non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). 1649 31
<< Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Next >>