Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.37 (neutrophil elastase)
 4,078 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Melanoma growth stimulatory activity (MGSA/GRO), a cytokine originally characterized as an autocrine growth factor for melanoma cells, is highly chemotactic for neutrophils and releases neutrophil elastase as well as other matrix-degrading enzymes. Previous work has demonstrated the presence of MGSA/GRO in melanocytic lesions and in the epidermal keratinocytes of non-lesional skin and psoriatic scale. Herein, MGSA/GRO localization was examined in a variety of human skin lesions exhibiting proliferative and/or differentiative disorders using immunohistochemical methods. Most lesions showed greater MGSA/GRO immunoreactivity in the more differentiated suprabasal keratinocytes of the stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum than in the stratum basalis, where the dividing basal cells are found. Hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands were also frequently positive for MGSA/GRO. The highest level of immunoreactive MGSA/GRO in diseased epidermis was detected in verruca vulgaris, followed by psoriasis, keratoacanthoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Detection of MGSA/GRO in basal cell carcinoma was variable, being present in the sclerosing variant and absent in the more common nodular variant. Melanocytic lesions stained less intensely for MGSA/GRO than keratinocytic lesions, where the levels of MGSA/GRO expression correlated with the inflammatory response and degree of keratinocyte differentiation.
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PMID:Localization of MGSA/GRO protein in cutaneous lesions. 836 15

Expression of human leukocyte elastase inhibitor, elafin, otherwise known as skin-derived antileukoproteinase inhibitor (SKALP), was investigated in normal and abnormal oral tissues using a specific anti-SKALP rabbit antiserum. Weak staining was observed in keratinizing epithelia of normal oral mucosa but not in non-keratinizing mucosa. Increased expression was also observed in the suprabasal layers of dysplastic oral epithelia and in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, but not in basal cell carcinoma. A uniform strong expression was observed in all supra-basal layers of odontogenic keratocyst epithelia, except in regions where inflammatory infiltrate was adjacent to keratocyst epithelia. In contrast, elafin expression in a small number of dentigerous cysts and ameloblastomas was more patchy. The increased levels of elafin in keratocyst epithelia and dysplastic tissue may be a cellular homoeostatic response to generate a protective barrier preventing proteolytic degradation of underlying elastic tissue.
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PMID:Increased elafin expression in cystic, dysplastic and neoplastic oral tissues. 886 Jan 45