Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
 103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

c-Met, the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor is known to be responsible for the motility and mitogenesis of epithelial cells including cancer cells. To investigate the significance of c-Met expression in human colorectal cancer (CRC), total cellular protein, extracted from 130 CRCs were examined by Western blot analysis. The signal was quantitated by ChemiImager 4000 Low Light Imaging System. c-Met expression was analyzed as the ratio of tumor to matched normal tissue (T/N) and expressed as fold-increase. The cellular localization of c-Met was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The T/N fold increase of c-Met varied from 0.2 to 10.7 with a mean of 3.41 +/- 0.23 (mean +/- SE). 69% primary CRC showed overexpression (T/N > 2.0) of c-Met. Significantly higher c-Met levels were found in CRC with blood vessel invasion (P = 0.04), and in advanced stage (P = 0.04). No relationship was noted between c-Met expression and age, tumor size, location, differentiation. C-Met immunoreactivity was observed in the membrane and cytoplasm of cancer cells. Positive staining of endothelial cells of blood vessels within normal submucosa and tumor was also evident. C-Met protein is expressed at levels significantly higher than adjacent mucosa in most primary adenocarcinomas of the colon. Our results support an important role for c-Met in human CRC progression and metastasis.
Clin Exp Metastasis 2004
PMID:Immunoblot analysis of c-Met expression in human colorectal cancer: overexpression is associated with advanced stage cancer. 1567 65

Resveratrol, present in grapes and other plants, is a polyphenolic compound with strong antioxidative activity. In our previous studies, we found that reactive oxygen species (ROS) accelerated the invasive capacity of a rat ascites hepatoma cell line of AH109A in culture and that resveratrol and resveratrol-loaded rat sera suppressed the ROS-potentiated invasion of the hepatoma cells. To study mechanisms by which resveratrol and its in vivo metabolite(s) suppress the invasion, we estimated intracellular peroxide level and expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a known cell motility factor, in AH109A cells. Exogenously added ROS promoted the intracellular peroxide level and the expression of HGF. Resveratrol and resveratrol-loaded rat sera canceled the rise in the peroxide level and HGF expression in ROS-stimulated tumor cells. These results suggest an involvement of the antioxidative property of resveratrol and sera from rats orally given resveratrol in their suppressive effects on ROS-potentiated invasion of AH109A cells.
Clin Exp Metastasis 2004
PMID:Resveratrol inhibits hepatoma cell invasion by suppressing gene expression of hepatocyte growth factor via its reactive oxygen species-scavenging property. 1567 69

We have shown that inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) reduces in vitro invasiveness and metastatic capacity of MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells. These experiments investigated the mechanisms mediating the anti-invasive properties of DFMO. DFMO did not affect phosphorylation of FAK or Akt, but increased ERK phosphorylation by approximately threefold. To test the biologic significance of this finding, we tested the effect of the MEK inhibitor PD98059 on in vitro invasiveness of MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells, both in the absence and in the presence of the proinvasive peptide hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as a chemoattractant. We observed that PD98059 treatment reversed the anti-invasive effect of DFMO under both experimental conditions. Next, we tested the influence of DFMO on the production of the prometastatic peptide osteopontin (OPN) and the anti-metastatic protein thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). DFMO treatment, while not affecting OPN production, markedly increased the TSP-1 level in the conditioned media. This effect was abolished by putrescine administration, thus indicating the specificity of the DFMO action through the polyamine pathway. PD98059 completely blocked the stimulatory effect of DFMO on TSP-1 production, which supports a mediatory role for activation of the MAPK pathway in the upregulation of this anti-metastatic peptide by DFMO. In summary, our results show that the increase in ERK phosphorylation induced by DFMO plays a critical role in the anti-invasive action of the drug and in its ability to upregulate TSP-1 production.
Clin Exp Metastasis 2004
PMID:Cellular mechanisms mediating the anti-invasive properties of the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) in human breast cancer cells. 1567 71

Hepatocyte activator inhibitor-1 (HAI-1) is a transmembrane serine protease inhibitor that regulates the conversion of latent to active hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Studies supporting a role for the HGF pathway in prostate carcinogenesis prompted an analysis of HAI-1 expression in the prostate. Here we analyze the regulation of HAI-1 expression by androgen, oncogenic transformation, and cancer progression. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that HAI-1 expression was restricted to prostate epithelium, where staining occurred primarily in basal and atrophic luminal epithelial cells. Compared to normal glands, HAI-1 expression was significantly increased in localized prostate cancer and was present in most prostate cancer metastases. HAI-1 protein expression levels were sensitive to androgen in normal epithelium but not in cancer. Although androgen did not increase HAI-1 protein expression levels in LNCaP cells, it decreased HAI-1 surface expression, consistent with previous data from our group (Martin DB, Gifford DR, Wright ME, Keller A, Yi E, Goodlett DR, Aebersold R, Nelson PS: Quantitative proteomic analysis of proteins released by neoplastic prostate epithelium. Cancer Res 2004, 64:347-355). HAI-1 overexpression in cancer was predictive of prostate-specific antigen recurrence (relative risk, 1.24). These results suggest that HAI-1 regulates the HGF Met axis on prostate epithelial cells and influences HGF mediated tumor invasion and metastasis.
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PMID:Regulation of hepatocyte activator inhibitor-1 expression by androgen and oncogenic transformation in the prostate. 1597 69

Men who die from prostate cancer do so from uncontrolled metastatic disease. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer may lead to novel therapeutic approaches to prevent its natural progression. Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Scatter factor (HGF/SF) has been demonstrated to elicit a number of key functions in numerous tissues that are important in the progression, invasion and metastasis of cancer. Studies have demonstrated that the activity of HGF/SF and its receptor c-Met are linked to disease progression in numerous cancers. However, research into these functions, which include activities as a mitogen, a motogen and an anti-apoptotic and angiogenic factor in prostate cancer are limited. This article reviews the published evidence of the roles HGF/SF plays in prostate cancer progression and highlights the clinical and therapeutic potential of research into this pleiomorphic cytokine.
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PMID:Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor and prostate cancer: a review. 1613 15

E1AF/PEA3, an Ets family transcription factor, is frequently overexpressed in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Overexpression of E1AF increases motility and invasion of VMRC-LCD and NCI-H226 NSCLC cells, which lack endogenous E1AF expression, and the effect is synergistically increased by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). The small GTPase Rho/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway is also involved in motility and invasion. To determine the role of the Rho/ROCK pathway in malignant phenotypes induced by E1AF, we analyzed VMRC-LCD cells transfected with an E1AF expression vector (LCD-E1AF cells) or with empty vector (LCD-vector cells). LCD-E1AF cells had more GTP-bound (active) Rho than LCD-vector cells and Rho activation was synergistically increased by HGF. The Rho activation by E1AF and HGF was also shown in NCI-H226 cells. Phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC), a downstream effector of ROCK signaling, was higher in LCD-E1AF cells than in LCD-vector cells, especially under HGF treatment. A specific ROCK inhibitor, Y27632, strongly suppressed MLC phosphorylation, cell motility, and invasion. In nude mice implanted s.c. and intrapulmonarily, LCD-E1AF cells made more local tumors than LCD-vector cells (six of six versus one of seven mice and four of seven versus one of seven mice, respectively). Three of the four mice with lung tumors from LCD-E1AF cells had lymph node metastases whereas the mouse with LCD-vector tumors did not. LCD-E1AF tumors showed higher MLC phosphorylation than LCD-vector tumors. These results suggest that E1AF activates the Rho/ROCK pathway in an HGF-enhanced manner and its activation is important in E1AF-induced motility and invasion as well as tumorigenesis and metastasis in NSCLC cells.
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PMID:E1AF/PEA3 activates the Rho/Rho-associated kinase pathway to increase the malignancy potential of non-small-cell lung cancer cells. 1632 23

Some cancers frequently affect the skeleton, and the bone microenvironment supports growth of certain cancer cells. After tumors metastasize to bone, they stimulate osteoclastogenesis and expand in the bone tissue. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which was originally identified as a potent mitogen for hepatocytes, promotes tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. HGF is mainly produced by cells of mesenchymal origin, and osteoblasts/osteocytes and bone marrow stromal cells originate from mesenchymal cells. However, it is not clear what effect HGF has on tumor progression in bone metastasis. In the present study, we investigated the roles of HGF in bone metastasis using the mouse mammary cancer cell line BALB/c-MC. Cancer cells injected into hearts of mice metastasized to bone in their hind limbs. HGF immunoreactivity was detected in the stroma surrounding the tumor nests, and blood vessels expressing CD31 (a marker of endothelial cells) were observed in the HGF-positive area. To identify the cells producing HGF, we measured concentration of HGF in culture media. HGF concentration was elevated in osteoblast cultures (3.13+/-0.25 ng/ml), whereas HGF was undetectable (<0.4 ng/ml) in BALB/c-MC and bone marrow cell cultures. HGF concentration in osteoblast cultures increased 2.5-fold in response to 10(-6) M PGE(2). Addition of HGF to BALB/c-MC cultures caused doubling of the cell number. Moreover, Western blot analysis revealed expression of c-Met/HGF receptor by BALB/c-MC. In the Matrigel invasion chamber assay, addition of HGF to the bottom well increased the rate at which BALB/c-MC invaded the bottom well through the membrane. Furthermore, when osteoblasts were cultured in the bottom well, the number of BALB/c-MC cells that invaded the bottom well through the membrane increased 3.7-fold, compared to assays without osteoblasts. Addition of NK4, an inhibitor of HGF, completely abolished the enhancement of the invasive potential of the BALB/c-MC cells in the presence of osteoblasts. These findings suggest that HGF produced by osteoblasts induces migration of cancer cells from sinusoidal capillaries to bone marrow space and stimulates growth of cancer cells in the bone microenvironment. Thus, osteoblasts appear to promote bone metastasis of some cancers via HGF-c-Met signaling.
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PMID:Involvement of hepatocyte growth factor in the development of bone metastasis of a mouse mammary cancer cell line, BALB/c-MC. 1645 53

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induces invasive growth, a biological program that confers tumor cells the capability to invade and metastasize by integrating cell proliferation, motility, morphogenesis, and survival. We here demonstrate that HGFR activation promotes survival of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells exposed to conditions that mimic those met during tumor progression, i.e. nutrient deprivation or substrate detachment, and following chemotherapeutic treatment. In all these conditions, a sustained activation of p38 MAPK delivers a main death signal that is overcome by cell treatment with HGF. HGF-driven survival requires the engagement of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K and ERK MAPK transduction pathways. Abrogation of p38 MAPK activity prevents CRC cell apoptosis also when these transduction pathways are inhibited, and treatment with HGF further increases survival. Engagement of these signaling cascades is also needed for HGF to induce CRC cell scattering, morphogenesis, motility and invasion. Activation of p38 MAPK signaling is therefore a main apoptotic switch for CRC cells in the stressful conditions encountered during tumor progression. Conversely, HGF orchestrates several biochemical pathways, which allow cell survival in these same conditions and promote the biological responses required for tumor invasive growth. Both p38 MAPK and HGF/HGFR signaling constitute potential molecular targets for inhibiting colorectal carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Hepatocyte growth factor installs a survival platform for colorectal cancer cell invasive growth and overcomes p38 MAPK-mediated apoptosis. 1667 2

Malignant melanoma is an attractive model disease for the development of antigen-specific immunotherapy because many antigens recognized by tumor-specific T cells have been identified. In C57BL/6 mice, genetic immunization with recombinant adenovirus encoding xenogeneic human tyrosinase-related protein 2 (Ad-hTRP2) induces protective but not therapeutic cellular immunity against growth of transplanted B16 melanoma cells. Here, we additionally applied CpG DNA and synthetic double-stranded RNA, which activate the innate immune system via Toll-like receptors (TLR). Both adenoviral vaccination and peritumoral injections of TLR ligands were required for rejection of established B16 melanoma in the skin. To more closely mimic the clinical situation in patients with melanoma, we evaluated this combined immunotherapeutic strategy in genetically modified mice, which overexpress hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and carry an oncogenic mutation in the cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4)(R24C). HGF x CDK4(R24C) mice rapidly develop multiple invasive melanomas in the skin following neonatal carcinogen treatment, which spontaneously metastasize to lymph nodes and lungs. Vaccination with Ad-hTRP2 followed by injections of TLR ligands resulted in delayed growth of autochthonous primary melanomas in the skin and reduction in the number of spontaneous lung metastases but did not induce tumor regression. Carcinogen-treated HGF x CDK4(R24C) mice bearing multiple autochthonous melanomas did not reject transplanted B16 melanoma despite treatment with Ad-hTRP2 and TLR ligands, suggesting the development of tumor immunotolerance. Further investigations in our novel genetic melanoma model may help to better understand the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis and treatment of this life-threatening disease.
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PMID:Therapeutic efficacy of antigen-specific vaccination and toll-like receptor stimulation against established transplanted and autochthonous melanoma in mice. 1670 71

The tyrosine kinase receptor Met and its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), play an important role in normal developmental processes, as well as in tumorigenicity and metastasis. We constructed a green fluorescent protein (GFP) Met chimeric molecule that functions similarly to the wild-type Met receptor and generated GFP-Met transgenic mice. These mice ubiquitously expressed GFP-Met in specific epithelial and endothelial cells and displayed enhanced GFP-Met fluorescence in sebaceous glands. Thirty-two percent of males spontaneously developed adenomas, adenocarcinomas, and angiosarcomas in their lower abdominal sebaceous glands. Approximately 70% of adenocarcinoma tumors metastasized to the kidneys, lungs, or liver. Quantitative subcellular-resolution intravital imaging revealed very high levels of GFP-Met in tumor lesions and in single isolated cells surrounding them, relative to normal sebaceous glands. These single cells preceded the formation of local and distal metastases. Higher GFP-Met levels correlated with earlier tumor onset and aggressiveness, further demonstrating the role of Met-HGF/SF signaling in cellular transformation and acquisition of invasive and metastatic phenotypes. Our novel mouse model and high-resolution intravital molecular imaging create a powerful tool that enables direct real-time molecular imaging of receptor expression and localization during primary events of tumorigenicity and metastasis at single-cell resolution.
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PMID:In vivo direct molecular imaging of early tumorigenesis and malignant progression induced by transgenic expression of GFP-Met. 1679 84


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