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)

Plasminogen is present in the cornea andcan be activated to plasmin by plasminogen activator. Plasmin is able, in turn, to activate latent collagenase. This system could initiate and perpetuate the collagen degradation of corneal ulceration. This report details evidence for such a system in the cornea. Plasmin has been found to activate latent collagenase from organ cultures of ulcerating rabbit corneas and from fibroblast cultures derived from such corneas. As in the case of activation by trypsin, activation by plasmin results in the conversion of the 40,000 MW latent form to an active species of 23,000 MW. Explants of normal or alkali-burned, ulcerating corneas demonstrated plasminogen-dependent lysis of fibrin clots; frozen sections of such corneas demonstrated that lysis begins in the superficial stroma near the periphery of the cornea. Multiply freeze-thawed ulcerating corneas, but not normal corneas, showed initial lysis, not peripherally but at the ulcer region containing polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The fact that the peripheral lytic pattern existed in corneas that were obtained from eyes prefrozen in liquid nitrogen before excision of the corneas would suggest that plasminogen activator is normally contained in cells in vivo and is not made only in response to tissue injury. There was no correlation between the location of blood vessels or the presence of the corneal endothelium and the plasminogen-dependent lysis. Plasminogen activator from the ulcerating cornea and from fibroblasts was characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate--gel electrophoresis of its cleavage products of plasminogen. The activator cleaves plasminogen into heavy- and light-chain fragments similar to those produced from plasminogen by urokinase. Plasminogen activator activity was quantitated by a new assay that restricts diffusion of the enzyme to one dimension into a narrow bore tube. The addition of plasminogen daily to cultures of ulcerating corneas resulted in earlier rises of plasminogen activator, collagenase, and collagen degradation fragments in the culture media. Although total plasminogen activator levels were not increased by the addition of plasminogen to culture, levels of both collagenase and solubilized collagen were approximately doubled. It is concluded that the plasminogen activator--plasmin system might play an important role in the destruction of stromal matrix in corneal ulceration.
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PMID:Evidence for a role of the plasminogen activator--plasmin system in corneal ulceration. 625 12

The correlation between activation of macrophages and increased secretion of plasminogen activator suggests that macrophages are exposed to the protease plasmin. Incubation of 125I-labeled, caseinate-elicited guinea pig peritoneal macrophages with plasmin cleaves a surface protein, gp160, characterized previously by its sensitivity to trypsin. The gp160 fragments produced by plasmin (fr85 and fr71), which remain disulfide-bonded in the membrane, comigrate with the fragments produced by trypsin, indicating close or identical cleavage sites. No other detectable 125I-labeled surface component is cleaved by plasmin. Neither gp160 nor any other detectable 125I-labeled surface component was cleaved by a series of other proteases associated with inflammation including thrombin, collagenase, pancreatic elastase, leukocyte elastase, cathepsin G, and urokinase. Analysis with the use of homogeneous plasmin from guinea pig plasma shows that concentrations as low as 50 micrograms/ml cause measurable cleavage of gp160 in 30 min.
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PMID:Macrophage surface component gp160: sensitivity to plasmin and other proteases. 646 Aug 5

The c-ets-1 transcription factor has been involved in the in vitro transactivation of matrix-degrading protease genes that might play an important role in tumor invasion. Using in situ hybridization, we analyzed serial frozen sections for c-ets-1, collagenase 1, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator gene expression in 54 lung carcinomas including 34 non-neuroendocrine carcinomas (18 squamous carcinomas, 10 adenocarcinomas, 3 large cell carcinomas, and 3 basaloids) and 20 neuroendocrine carcinomas (7 small cell lung carcinomas, 4 large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas, 4 well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas, and 5 carcinoids). c-ets-1 gene was expressed in stromal cells in 44/54 lung carcinomas including one metastasizing carcinoid. c-ets-1 transcripts were also detected in cancer cells more frequently in neuroendocrine than in non-neuroendocrine carcinomas (P = 0.0059) and in stages III and IV and metastasis more frequently than in stages I and II ( P = 0.0065). Collagenase 1 gene was expressed in 16/34 non-neuroendocrine tumors and in 1/20 neuroendocrine tumors, either in stromal (12/17) or in cancer cells (6/17). Urokinase-type plasminogen activator mRNAs were expressed in 45/54 lung carcinomas in stromal and/or cancer cells. In non-neuroendocrine tumors, c-ets-1 and collagenase 1 gene expressions in stromal cells were correlated. These results demonstrate that the transcription factor c-ets-1, collagenase 1, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator are involved in lung cancer invasion and suggest that c-ets-1 protein might transactivate collagenase 1 gene during tumor invasion.
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PMID:Expression of c-ets-1, collagenase 1, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator genes in lung carcinomas. 748 93

The formation of new blood vessels is an essential process in embryonic development and wound healing, for tumor growth and metastasis. In situ hybridization studies have revealed that the protooncogene c-est1 is expressed in endothelial cells at the beginning of blood vessel formation, in normal and pathological conditions. c-ets1 encodes a transcription factor, a protein which binds specifically to DNA and which regulates the transcription of genes containing these specific binding sequences in their promotors. Thus, in vitro experiments suggest that c-ets1 may activate the transcription of genes encoding collagenase 1, stromelysine 1 and urokinase plasminogen activator, proteases involved in extracellular matrix degradation. A working hypothesis is that c-ets1 takes part in regulating angiogenesis by controlling the transcription of these genes whose activity is necessary for the migration of endothelial cells from pre-existing capillaries. This hypothesis is discussed with respect to current experimental evidence and to the complexity of the regulatory network controlling gene transcription and extracellular matrix degradation.
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PMID:[Does oncogene c-ets 1 participate in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis?]. 751 28

During their progression, epithelial tumors induce a stromal reaction essential for their development and for metastasis. In situ hybridization studies have revealed that the protooncogene c-ets1 is expressed in endothelial cells at the beginning tumor angiogenesis, and in stromal fibroblasts surrounding invasive tumors. C-ets1 encodes a transcription factor that may activate the transcription of genes encoding collagenase 1, stromelysin 1 and urokinase plasminogen activator, proteases involved in extracellular matrix degradation. A working hypothesis is that c-Ets1 takes part in regulating invasive processes by controlling the transcription of these genes. Experimental evidences that may confirm this hypothesis will be discussed.
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PMID:[How tumors abuse their host: the transcription factor c-ets1 and the regulation of tumor angiogenesis or invasion]. 752 1

The c-ets1 proto-oncogene encodes a transcription factor that binds a GGAA/T purine rich core DNA sequence. During normal as well as pathological development, the expression of c-ets1 is associated with the occurrence of invasive processes, either in invading cells or in the invaded tissue. Cellular regulatory sequences responsive to the c-Ets1 proteins include a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) gene enhancer, the stromelysin-1 and the collagenase-1 gene promoters. Since invasive processes are thought to require the remodeling of the extra-cellular matrix, we investigate the relationships between c-Ets1 and the expression pattern of transcripts encoding these matrix degrading proteases, in embryos and in solid tumors.
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PMID:Does the transcription factor c-ets1 take part in the regulation of angiogenesis and tumor invasion? 753 26

Dimerization plays a pivotal role in modulating the activity of the c-Jun proto-oncogene product. Heterodimerization with activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) alters the DNA-binding specificity of c-Jun, allowing its targeting to several cAMP responsive element (CRE)-related sequences, which control a subset of AP-1-responsive genes. Here we show that a c-Jun/ATF-2 heterodimer binds to the AP-1 site (uPA 5'-TRE) essential for the activity of the human urokinase enhancer, conferring on this element several distinctive regulatory properties. The c-Jun/ATF-2 heterodimer was identified by binding competition assays, u.v. cross linking, and monospecific antibodies. In vitro binding studies revealed that the uPA 5'-TRE sequence is recognized by the cyclic AMP-unresponsive ATF-2 factor, but not by the cyclic AMP-inducible CREB. In addition, in vivo studies suggest that ATF-2 can mediate, at the same time, the activation of the c-Jun/ATF-2 site and the repression of the canonical collagenase AP-1 site. We report that heterodimerization with c-Fos does not increase the binding of c-Jun to the uPA 5'-TRE, in contrast to the increased binding at a consensus AP-1 site. Our data further suggest that c-Fos can act as a repressor of the c-Jun/ATF-2 binding site, revealing an important functional difference, with respect to canonical AP-1 elements.
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PMID:Heterodimerization of c-Jun with ATF-2 and c-Fos is required for positive and negative regulation of the human urokinase enhancer. 762 51

Because dermatitis herpetiformis is characterized by neutrophilic inflammation and destructive changes in the basement membrane zone, we studied the in situ expression of interstitial collagenase and stromelysin-1 in 11 lesions. A prominent signal for collagenase mRNA was consistently detected in the basal keratinocytes of rete ridges surrounding the neutrophilic abscesses in 10 of 11 lesions, and the expression was independent of the age of the lesion and the migratory state of the basal keratinocytes. Expression of stromelysin-1 was detected in seven of 11 lesions and co-localized with collagenase. No expression of the 92-kDa gelatinase mRNA or matrilysin protein was found in the vicinity of neutrophilic accumulations or the damaged basement membrane. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator mRNA was found in basal keratinocytes in seven of nine samples. Collagenase, stromelysin-1, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator were not expressed in normal-appearing skin of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis. Our results suggest that in lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis, collagenase and stromelysin-1 may be induced in basal keratinocytes by neutrophil cytokines or by altered cell-matrix interactions through contact of keratinocytes with the matrix due to damaged basement membrane. Stromelysin-1, in particular, may contribute to formation of blisters by degrading basement membrane components.
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PMID:Enhanced expression of interstitial collagenase, stromelysin-1, and urokinase plasminogen activator in lesions of dermatitis herpetiformis. 763 99

The protein encoded by the c-ets1 proto-oncogene is a member of a new family of transcription factors. Cellular regulatory sequences responsive to the c-Ets1 proteins include a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene enhancer, the stromelysin 1 and the collagenase 1 gene promoters. During normal as well as pathological development, the expression of c-ets1 is associated with the occurrence of invasive processes, either in invading cells or in the invaded tissue. Since these invasive processes are thought to require the remodeling of the extracellular matrix, we investigate the relationships between c-Ets1 and the expression patterns of transcripts encoding the matrix-degrading proteases uPA, stromelysin 1 and collagenase 1, in embryos and in solid tumors.
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PMID:Expression of the transcription factor c-Ets1 correlates with the occurrence of invasive processes during normal and pathological development. 765 13

We investigated the effect of gonadotropins on protease that were suggested to be implicated in the invasive activity of the trophoblast. hCG levels ranging from 10 x 10(3) to 333 x 10(3) IU/L produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the in vitro globinolytic activity of the purified proteases trypsin, chymotrypsin, and urokinase, but failed to inhibit plasmin, collagenase, elastase, and tissue-type plasminogen activator. Likewise, FSH inhibited purified trypsin and urokinase, but not plasmin or tissue-type plasminogen activator. Culture medium conditioned with human trophoblast displayed serine protease and urokinase-like activities; exposure of the cultured trophoblast to exogenous hCG markedly suppressed serine protease and urokinase activities in the conditioned medium. A short treatment of the conditioned medium with trypsin abolished the hCG-mediated inhibition of urokinase activity. The present findings offer an explanation for earlier observations that hCG reduced collagenase activity in trophoblasts without affecting the level of collagenase-specific mRNA. The present results are also consistent with the concept that hCG, by its direct ability to inhibit certain serine proteases and urokinase in trophoblast, suppresses a protease-mediated conversion of procollagenase to active collagenase. The ability of hCG to prevent initiation of the collagenolytic cascade suggests that gonadotropins may regulate the transient invasive activity of the trophoblast.
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PMID:Gonadotropin-mediated inhibition of proteolytic enzymes produced by human trophoblast in culture. 768 89


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