Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.73 (urokinase-type plasminogen activator)
10,685 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) exists as a GPI anchored glycoprotein (Mr=50-60 kDa) on the surface of various cell types. This receptor can be bound by or cleaved by urokinase. The cleaved receptor, soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), with an Mr=35 kDa has no known physiological function and can be identified circulating in the blood of normal individuals. Although no function has been characterized, the soluble receptor has been reported to be of clinical significance. The objective of this study is to characterize novel serum markers that can be used for the early detection of prostate cancer and to predict patient prognosis. Thirty-nine patients at the University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa were examined for prostatic disorders. Of these, 46% were diagnosed with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), while 44% of the patients were diagnosed via biopsy with prostate cancer and graded accordingly. Here we show that serum from patients with BPH or prostate cancer contains elevated levels of suPAR. To examine the significance of suPAR as a diagnostic factor, we used a suPAR ELISA kit and compared these results with serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), the current diagnostic marker for prostate cancer. PSA and serum suPAR levels in BPH and cancer patients were greatly elevated in the majority of patients, while others had undetectable levels of either. Serum levels of suPAR were high in cancer patients as well as, although to a lesser degree, in patients with BPH. Cancer patients who died during the follow-up period were found to have consistently higher serum suPAR levels than correlating serum PSA levels. These preliminary findings are the first evaluating serum suPAR levels as a possible diagnostic marker for the early detection of prostate cancer and for the prediction of patient prognosis.
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PMID:Expression of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor may be related to outcome in prostate cancer patients. 1085 62

The interaction of fibrinolytic components with GPIb/V/IX of platelets on thrombus formation, was investigated in mice deficient in tissue type (tPA-/-), urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA-/-) or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1-/-) and in their wild type control (tPA+/+, uPA+/+, PAI-1+/+). A thrombus was induced in the murine carotid artery using a photochemical reaction. The times to occlusion after the initiation of endothelial injury in all wild type mice was within 12 min, and no significant changes in occlusion delay were observed in uPA-/- and tPA-/- mice compared to wild type mice, whereas that of PAI-1 mice were significantly prolonged (16.9+/-2.9 min, P<0.05). When high molecular weight aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), an inhibitor of platelet glycoprotein Ib/V/IX, was administered, the time to occlusion was prolonged in a dose-dependent manner in all types of mice. However, when this compound was injected in tPA-/- mice, the most significant changes were observed: i.e. the estimated ED(50) was 20.2 times higher than that in tPA+/+ mice, but the estimated ED(50) in uPA-/- mice was not changed as compared with that of wild type mice. On the other hand, when ATA was injected in PAI-1-/- mice, the estimated ED(50) was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Platelet aggregation induced by botrocetin was not significantly different among all types of mice. The bleeding time was prolonged in a dose dependent-manner when ATA was injected in all types of mice. In conclusion, the antithrombotic effect of inhibition of platelet GPIb/V/IX is severely affected by the absence or presence of tPA-production on thrombus formation and the inhibition of PAI-1 could enhance this antithrombotic effect.
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PMID:The interaction between components of the fibrinolytic system and GPIb/V/IX of platelets thrombus formation in mice. 1103 Jul 38

Human urokinase receptor (uPAR), a 55 kD glycoprotein linked to the cell membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor, plays a central role in cell migration and tissue remodeling. The human uPAR cDNA was cloned from a highly metastatic human lung giant cell line PG by RT-PCR and then subcloned into pGEM-T vector and sequenced. The data indicate that there are three bases substitution (705, 746, 755) which subsequently leads to two amino acid mutation (249, 252) compared to that of previously reported. The cDNA sequence of uPAR was registered in GenBank with accession number AF257789.
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PMID:[cDNA cloning and sequencing of human urokinase receptor]. 1105 19

To define the interaction of fibrinolytic components with platelets or coagulation factors on thrombus formation, we investigated mouse deficient in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA -/-) or urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA -/-) and in their wild-type control (tPA +/+, uPA +/+). A thrombus was induced in the murine carotid artery using photochemical reaction. Blood flow was monitored and the time needed before the vessel became completely obstructed was within 12 min in all types of mice. When DX-9065a, a selective factor Xa inhibitor, or GR144053, a platelet glycoprotein (GP) complex IIb/IIIa antagonist was applied, the time required to occlusion was prolonged in a dose-dependent manner in all types of mice. When a factor Xa inhibitor was injected in tPA -/- mice, the estimated ED50 was not changed. However, when GR144053 was injected in tPA -/- mice, the most significant changes were observed: the estimated ED51 was 19.6 times higher than the one in tPA +/+ mice. Platelet aggregation, hemostasis tests, and bleeding times were not significantly different among the different types of mice. In conclusion, the antithrombotic effect of platelet inhibition by a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist, is severely affected by the absence or presence of tPA production. On the contrary, the inhibition of factor Xa shows a stable antithrombotic effect with or without tPA. Thus the lack of tPA, but not of uPA, significantly affects antithrombotic efficacy.
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PMID:tPA, but not uPA, significantly affects antithrombotic therapy by a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist, but not by a factor Xa inhibitor. 1111 78

Deregulation of several signaling pathways have been found to be critical for the development of different types of tumors, both in transgenic and spontaneous models. The role of proteases and adhesion molecules during the early stages of tumor progression induced by oncogenes in epithelial and mesenchymal tumors has remained relatively unexplored. This review summarizes recent work showing that different but overlapping signaling effector modules (PKC, v-Ras-RalA-PLD1 or v-Src-RalA-PLD1) induce changes in the production of proteases (uPA and MMPs) and adhesion molecules (fibronectin, CD44, beta 1-integrin) in normal epithelial or mesenchymal cell lines, associated with tumor development in vivo. Overexpression of PKC gamma in normal mammary epithelial cells or of v-Src and v-Ras in NIH3T3 fibroblasts induced in all cases overproduction of uPA and MMPs and a tumorigenic phenotype. Proteases production and tumorigenicity in transformed NIH3T3 cells were dependent on the GTPase RalA. In contrast to the common outcome in protease production by the different tumor promoting stimuli, fibronectin production was high in PKC-overexpressing mammary epithelial cells and it was organized into a rich fibrillar matrix, while oncogene transformed fibroblasts displayed reduced fibronectin production and a total loss of FN fibrillogenesis, an effect also dependent on RalA. These results show that protease overexpression is a common denominator in the acquisition of a malignant phenotype both in mesenchymal and epithelial cells. In contrast there is a dramatic difference in the expression and function of adhesion molecules like fibronectin between these two cell types, suggesting different regulatory roles for this glycoprotein during tumor progression, in cells of different tissular origin.
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PMID:[Signaling pathways regulating the expression of proteases during tumor progression]. 1118 28

The incomplete penetrance of thrombosis in familial protein C deficiency suggests disease occurs when this deficit is combined with additional abnormalities in the hemostatic system. The pattern of inherited thrombophilia in the Vermont II kindred, which is affected by a clinically dominant type I protein C deficiency, provides strong evidence for a second unidentified gene that segregates independently of protein C deficiency and increases susceptibility to thrombosis. To test the second gene hypothesis, thirty-four candidate genes for proteins involved in hemostasis or inflammation were tested as the unknown defect, using highly polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) markers in an informative subset (n = 31) of the kindred. The genes considered are; alpha-fibrinogen, beta-fibrinogen, gamma-fibrinogen, prothrombin, tissue factor, factor V, protein S, complement component 4 binding protein, factor XI, factor XII, factor XIIIa, factor XIIIb, histidine rich glycoprotein, high molecular weight kininogen, kallikrein, von Willebrands factor, platelet factor 4, thrombospondin, antithrombin III, alpha-1-antitrypsin, thrombomodulin, plasminogen, tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-2, protein C inhibitor, alpha-2-plasmin inhibitor, kallistatin, lipoprotein a, interleukin 6, interleukin 1, cystathionine-beta-synthase, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. Mutations in many of these genes have been previously established as independent risk factors for thrombosis. However, linkage analysis provided no evidence to implicate any of the candidate genes as the second inherited factor that promotes thrombophilia in this kindred.
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PMID:Genetic screening of candidate genes for a prothrombotic interaction with type I protein C deficiency in a large kindred. 1120 93

This article reviews the role of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and its protein, mRNA, cDNA, genomic organization, promoter, transcription activation factors, and signal transduction. The uPAR has been implicated in several biological processes including angiogenesis, monocyte migration, cancer metastasis, trophoblast implantation, and wound healing. It is a specific cell surface receptor for its ligand uPA which catalyzes the formation of plasmin from plasminogen to generate the proteolytic cascade that contributes to the breakdown of extracellular matrix, a key step in cancer metastasis. The uPAR is a 55-60 kDa glycoprotein organized as three homologous cysteine-rich domains. It attaches to the plasma membrane via a covalent linkage to a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) moiety and appears to play an important role in transmembrane signalling. The 1.4-kb human uPAR cDNA and 21.23-kb genomic DNA have been cloned and the gene contains seven exons. The uPAR promoter region was defined in a 188 bp fragment between bases -141 and +47 relative to the transcription start site. Binding of transcription factors (Sp1, AP-2, NFkappaB and two AP-1) to the uPAR promoter region activates the basal transcription of the gene. There is a strong correlation between uPAR expression and the invasive cancer cell phenotype. uPAR may play a critical role in the process of cancer invasion and metastasis, as antisense uPAR mRNA can inhibit cancer spread in vitro and in vivo. These studies may provide a novel therapeutic target for blocking cancer invasion and metastasis.
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PMID:The role and regulation of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor gene expression in cancer invasion and metastasis. 1122 63

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) in concert with other proteolytic enzymes plays a critical role in cartilage degradation during osteoarthritis. Urokinase receptor (uPAR), a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-linked glycoprotein present on the cell surface of various cell types such as cancer cells, fibroblasts, synoviocytes, and chondrocytes, is a key regulator of the plasmin-mediated pericellular proteolysis. Recently, in arthritic synovial tissue increased uPAR expression has been detected. By immunohistochemical analysis we observed, in addition, enhanced expression of uPAR in chondrocytes of arthritic samples of human cartilage compared to non-arthritic controls. Using in vitro cultured human chondrocytes, we analyzed whether uPAR is associated with structural proteins, which are known to be involved in cell signaling and activation. uPAR in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-stimulated chondrocytes colocalized with caveolin as well as beta 1-integrin, as demonstrated by double immunostaining with specific antibodies. Furthermore, uPAR was present in caveolae-like structures of chondrocytes as detected by immunoelectron microscopy. Finally, both caveolin and beta 1-integrin were coprecipitated with uPAR-specific antibodies from cell extracts suggesting that these proteins may form functional complexes in human chondrocytes. The localization of uPAR in caveolae and its close association with caveolin and beta 1-integrin points to a significance of uPAR-mediated signaling pathways in human chondrocytes.
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PMID:Expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor in human articular chondrocytes: association with caveolin and beta 1-integrin. 1140 60

alpha(1)-Acid glycoprotein, one of the major acute phase proteins, was found to interact with plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and to stabilize its inhibitory activity toward plasminogen activators. This conclusion is based on the following observations: (a) alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein was identified to bind PAI-1 by a yeast two-hybrid system. Three of 10 positive clones identified by this method to interact with PAI-1 contained almost the entire sequence of alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein; (b) this protein formed complexes with PAI-1 that could be immunoprecipitated from both the incubation mixtures and blood plasma by specific antibodies to either PAI-1 or alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. Such complexes could be also detected by a solid phase binding assay; and (c) the real-time bimolecular interactions monitored by surface plasmon resonance indicated that the complex of alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein with PAI-1 is less stable than that formed by vitronectin with PAI-1, but in both cases, the apparent K(D) values were in the range of strong interactions (4.51 + 1.33 and 0.58 + 0.07 nm, respectively). The on rate for binding of PAI-1 to alpha(1)-glycoprotein or vitronectin differed by 2-fold, indicating much faster complex formation by vitronectin than by alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. On the other hand, dissociation of PAI-1 bound to vitronectin was much slower than that from the alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein, as indicated by 4-fold lower k(off) values. Furthermore, the PAI-1 activity toward urokinase-type plasminogen activator and tissue-type plasminogen activator was significantly prolonged in the presence of alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. These observations suggest that the complex of PAI-1 with alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein can play a role as an alternative reservoir of the physiologically active form of the inhibitor, particularly during inflammation or other acute phase reactions.
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PMID:Acute phase protein alpha 1-acid glycoprotein interacts with plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and stabilizes its inhibitory activity. 1141 6

Different extracellular matrix proteins have been described as binding proteins for growth factors, influencing their storage or presentation towards cellular receptors. The multifunctional adhesive glycoprotein vitronectin (VN), which is found in the circulation and widely distributed throughout different tissues, has been implicated in the regulation of vascular cell functions, and these activities could be related to interactions with various growth factors. In vitro, soluble VN interfered with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) binding to isolated extracellular matrix and was found to associate with TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 as well as with other growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, or basic fibroblast growth factor in a saturable manner. In particular, binding of TGF-beta was maximal for the heparin-binding multimeric isoform of VN, whereas VN in a ternary complex with thrombin and antithrombin or plasma VN exhibited weaker binding. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) or heparin, but not desulfated glycosaminoglycans, interfered with binding of VN to TGF-beta, and soluble PAI-1 was able to dissociate VN-bound TGF-beta. Upon limited plasmin proteolysis of VN, only the fragments comprising the intact aminoterminal portion of VN bound to TGF-beta as did a synthetic peptide (amino acids 43 to 62), indicating that TGF-beta and PAI-1 share common binding site(s) on VN. Although VN did not influence TGF-beta bioactivity for mink lung epithelial cells, TGF-beta dose dependently inhibited both urokinase-receptor as well as alpha(v)-integrin-dependent adhesion to VN. This activity of TGF-beta was reminiscent of the antiadhesive function of PAI-1. In atherosclerotic tissue sections, staining patterns of VN and TGF-beta indicated their colocalization. These findings describe VN as a new binding protein for TGF-beta, whereby specific functions of both factors become modulated by this interaction.
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PMID:Molecular interactions and functional interference between vitronectin and transforming growth factor-beta. 1179 24


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