Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
 34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of occult malignancies in breast cancer patients is evolving as a useful diagnostic tool. However, no reliable molecular mRNA markers are available. We developed an RT-PCR plus Southern blot assay using beta-hCG (beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin) gene expression as a tumor marker for detection of breast malignancies metastatic to tumor-draining lymph nodes and blood. Breast carcinoma cell lines, primary breast malignancies and human placenta were used as positive controls for establishing the beta-hCG RT-PCR assay. Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from normal volunteer donors, normal breast tissue and lymph nodes from cancer-free patients were used as negative controls. beta-hCG RT-PCR was used to assess tumor cell presence in PBL and tumor-draining axillary nodes from patients with AJCC stage I-IV breast cancer. The assay sensitivity and specificity were enhanced by restriction endonuclease digestion of an Sty I site of the RT-PCR cDNA product followed by Southern blot analysis. beta-hCG mRNA was expressed in all breast cancer cell lines and 80% of primary breast cancers; it was not expressed in negative controls. The assay reliably detected one cancer cell in > 10(7) PBL, with a sensitivity of 10(-5) microgram RNA. Eighty percent of PBL and 61% of tumor-draining axillary nodes from breast cancer patients expressed beta-hCG mRNA. The assay is a sensitive and specific method of identifying breast cancer cells in breast tissues, lymph nodes and blood.
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PMID:Detection of metastatic breast cancer by beta-hCG polymerase chain reaction. 890 Mar 69

Lysyl oxidase-like enzymes (LOXL) are expressed in various cancers. We analyzed the expression of LOXL2, LOXL3, and LOXL4 in cancers involving the serosal cavities-breast carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, and malignant mesothelioma using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We discovered two new alternative splice variants of LOXL4. The spliced segments were exon 9 (splice variant 1) or both exons 8 and 9 (splice variant 2). In ovarian carcinoma, splice variant 1 was significantly elevated in effusions compared to solid lesions (p < 0.001). Splice variant 2 appeared only in effusions. In breast carcinoma, LOXL4 was expressed only in the effusion samples. In malignant mesothelioma, LOXL4 and its splice variants were expressed at all sites. Breast carcinoma effusions showed significantly higher LOXL2 (p = 0.003) and lower LOXL3 (p < 0.001) expression compared to primary carcinomas. Our data show differences in LOXL messenger RNA expression as a function of anatomic site and tumor type in cancers affecting the serosal cavities.
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PMID:Lysyl oxidase-like 4 is alternatively spliced in an anatomic site-specific manner in tumors involving the serosal cavities. 1901 74