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

A peptide derived from fibrinogen degraded by leukocyte elastase, and corresponding to amino acids 30-43 in the B beta-chain of fibrinogen, was evaluated concerning its effects on isolated bovine mesenteric arteries. This peptide induced dilation of the arteries and an increase in both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in the vessels. In addition there was an increase in 6-keto-PGF1 alpha indicating an increased release of prostacyclin. The increase in cyclic nucleotides and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha was inhibited by indomethacin, as was the vasodilation. The increase in cyclic GMP was much larger than the increase in cyclic AMP. The effects of the studied peptide are similar to the effects of other vasoactive peptides with a similar structure, such as bradykinin, neurotensin and substance P. The increase in cyclic AMP is probably caused by prostacyclin, a probable mediator of vasodilation. In addition, in certain species vasodilation may be caused by an increase in cyclic GMP.
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PMID:Effect of a peptide derived from fibrinogen degraded by leukocyte elastase on isolated bovine mesenteric arteries. 254 16

It is now generally accepted that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has thyroid-stimulating activity. Heterologous forms of the hCG molecule occur in the purified preparations extracted from urine of pregnant women and patients with trophoblastic diseases. This work was undertaken to determine the effect of peptide nicking in the hCG-beta subunit on its thyrotropic potency. Using Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing functional human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors, we examined the effect of nicked hCG on cycliC AMP (cAMP) production and receptor binding. The effect of human leukocyte elastase (hLE), a nicking enzyme, on standard hCG also was examined in the cAMP assay and on receptor binding. We studied five hCG preparations extracted from the urine of normal pregnancy (CR-127 and P8) and trophoblastic diseases (C2, C5 and M4). Two preparations (C2, 96% nicked and M4, 100% nicked in the beta 44-49 region) showed about a 1.5-fold potency of standard hCG CR-127, which is also 20% nicked in the same region. Non-nicked hCG (P8) had the weakest potency among all of the samples tested. Treatment of standard hCG with hLE increased the cAMP response about two-fold. Dose-dependent displacement of bovine [125I]TSH by standard hCG and hLE increased the cAMP response about two-fold. Dose-dependent displacement of bovine [125I]TSH by standard hCG and hLE-digested hCG was observed and was almost identical. We have confirmed the increased in vitro thyrotropic activity of hCG nicked in the beta-intercysteine loop on recombinant human TSH receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Effect of peptide nicking in the human chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit on stimulation of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors. 751 Feb 2

Mucins comprise an important class of tumor-associated antigens. The objectives of the present study were (a) to establish an in vitro model system using human non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma cell lines NCIH650 and NCIH2077 (b) provide evidence that these cell lines secrete mucin in culture conditions and (c) investigate the effects of select secretagogues on mucin secretion. The cell lines were established in ACL-4 medium containing several growth factors and retinoic acid and 5% fetal calf serum. The high molecular weight glycoconjugates secreted in the culture medium were purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Superose 6 and Superose 12 FPLC chromatography. The purified high molecular weight glycoconjugate fraction and the carcinoma cells were shown to have mucin by dot blot, Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis, respectively, using specific antibodies to purified major mucin, HTM-1. Also, incorporation experiments with mucin precursor 3H-glucosamine demonstrated that the cells indeed synthesize high molecular weight mucins. The effects of secretagogues such as, 8-bromocyclic AMP, ionomycin, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and neutrophil elastase on mucin secretion were also investigated. Only 8-bromocyclic AMP and neutrophil elastase influenced mucin secretion. These studies provided strong evidence that the lung adenocarcinoma cell lines secrete high molecular weight mucins in culture conditions and only two of the four tested secretagogues significantly increased mucin secretion. Thus, this in vitro model system may be useful in determining alterations in mucin structure, if any, in lung adenocarcinomas as well as in studying the regulation of mucin gene expression.
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PMID:Evidence of mucin secretion in human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines NCIH650 and NCIH2077 and effect of select secretagogues on mucin secretion. 1076 14