Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The pH profile for the uptake of L-glutamic acid by the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell arises largely as a sum of the decline with falling pH of a slow, Na+-dependent uptake by System A, and an increasing uptake by Na+-independent System L. The latter maximizes at about pH 4.5, following approximately the titration curve of the distal carboxyl group. This shift in route of uptake was verified by (a) a declining Na+-dependent component, (b) an almost corresponding decline in the 2-(methylamino)-isobutyric acid-inhibitable component, (c) a rising component inhibited by 2-aminonorbornane-2-carboxylic acid. Other amino acids recognized as principally reactive with Systems A or L yielded corresponding inhibitory effects with some conspicious exceptions: 2-Aminoisobutyric acid and even glycine become better substrates of System L as the pH is lowered; hence their inhibitory action on glutamic acid uptake is not lost. The above results were characterized by generally consistent relations among the half-saturation concentrations of the interacting amino acids with respect to: their own uptake, their inhibition of the uptake, one by another, and their trans stimulation of exodus, one by another. A small Na+-dependent component of uptake retained by L-glutamic acid but not by D-glutamic acid at pH 4.5 is inhibitable by methionine but by neither 2-(methylamino)-isobutyric acid nor the norbornane amino acid. We provisionally identified this component with System ASC, which transports L-glutamine throughout the pH range studied. No transport activity specific to the anionic amino acids was detected, and the unequivocally anionic cysteic acid showed neither significant mediated uptake nor inhibition of the uptake of glutamic aic or of the norbornane amino acid. The dicarboxylic amino acids take the sequence, aspartic acid less than glutamic acid less than alpha-aminoadipic acid less than S-carboxymethylcysteine, in their rate of mediated, Na+-independent uptake at low pH. Diiodotyrosine and two dissimilas isomers of nitrotyrosine also show acceleration of uptake as the phenolate group on the sidechain is protonated, a result indicating that the acidic group need not be a carboxyl group and need not take a specific position in space to be accepted at the receptor site L. The presence of the carboxyl group does not upset the normal stereospecificity of System L until it falls on the beta-carbon in aspartic acid; even then it is the presence of the carbonyl group and not of the intact carboxyl group nor of its hydroxyl group that cancels out the stereospecificity, as was shown by the absence of normal stereospecificity for aspartic acid and asparagine and its presence in glutamic acid, homoserine and glutamine. In agreement, the uptak of aspartic acid is peculiarly sensitive to the presence of an alpha-methyl group or of other structures that modify the orientation of the sidechain.
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PMID:Role of protein dissociation in the transport of acidic amino acids by the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell. 1 15

The interaction of analogs of L-aspartic acid with adenylosuccinic acid synthetase, L-asparagine synthetase, and L-aspartic acid transcarbamylase is discussed. Each of these enzymes is of critical importance in the economy of certain types of tumor cells. L-Alanosine, a new antitumor antibiotic, is shown to be accepted as a substrate by the enzymes of de novo purine biosynthesis which ordinarily use L-aspartic acid as a substrate; as a consequence of this interaction, an anabolite is thought to be produced which impairs the formation of adenine nucleotides by inhibiting adenylosuccinate synthetase, leading to an interruption in DNA synthesis. Homoserine-beta-adenylate, guanidinosuccinic acid, and PA2LA [3-(phosphonacetylamido)-L-alanine] are shown to be inhibitors of L-asparagine synthetase from murine lymphoblasts; each of these analogs of L-aspartic acid exhibits novel structural properties which can be used by synthetic chemists in the design of molecules with an even greater ability to block the biosynthesis of L-asparagine. Certain aspects of the mechanism of action of PALA (N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartic acid) were examined. This agent, which is a potent inhibitor of mammalian L-aspartic acid transcarbamylase, is capable of stimulating the homologous enzyme from Escherichia coli under certain circumstances. In vivo the duration of inhibition produced by this agent is shown to be unusually protracted; for example, L-aspartic acid transcarbamylase in mouse liver remains at 30% of treatment levels for greater than or equal to 20 days after a single therapeutic dose of PALA. This long-lasting effect reflects either sluggish synthesis of new enzyme molecules in this organ or shuttling of the inhibitor from old to new molecules. It is suggested that new and still more potent analogs of L-aspartic acid be sought, and that they be screened, inter alia, against these target enzymes.
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PMID:Analogs of L-aspartic acid in chemotherapy for cancer. 3 3

Plasma and prostatic fluid from man, dog, and baboon were measured for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) by a radioimmunoassay technique. No CEA was detected in plasma, prostatic fluid, or seminal fluid in 12 dogs and three baboons. Elevated CEA (less than 2.5 ng/ml) was found in 13 of 20 human prostatic fluids. It was inferred that there was no immunologic cross-reactivity of CEA among man, dog, and baboon. CEA has been isolated and purified from liver tumors. Biochemical studies reveal that CEA consists of 60 percent carbohydrate and 40 percent protein. It contains the following carbohydrates: fucose, mannose, galactose, sialic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and a small amount of N-acetylgalactosamine. The following amino acids were found in CEA: lysine, histidine, arginine, aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, emthionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and cysteine. The amino acid sequence (first 30 amino acids) of the N-terminal has been determined. The N-terminal amino acid was lysine. Using this study as a model, other tumor antigens from prostatic tumor tissues are being investigated. The acid phosphatase isoenzyme from prostatic tissue was also studied. After a series of purifications, two chromatographic fractions were obtained. Treatment with neuraminidase removed the sialic acid content of the molecule, changed the isoelectric focusing patterns, and abolished the chromatographic heterogeneity. Sedimentation studies indicated a molecular weight of about 100,000. Biochemical studies showed that prostatic acid phosphatase isoenzyme is a glycoprotein which consists of 7 percent carbohydrate and 93 percent protein. It contains fucose, galactose, mannose, sialic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and the following amino acids: aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, arginine, tryptophan, and cysteine. An antiserum to this purified prostatic acid phosphatase isoenzyme is being prepared in animals.
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PMID:Tumor antigen and acid phosphatase isoenzyme in prostatic cancer. 4 19

The elution profile of aspartyl transfer RNA (aspartyl-tRNA) from reversed phase 5 chromatography for tRNA from a spectrum of animal tissues and tumors and human tumors has been examined. It was found that SV40-induced hamster tumors, BHK21/cl 13 cells in culture, certain carcinogen-induced tumors in the Ehrlich ascites tumor, and a number of human carcinomas and adenocarcinomas contained a distinct increase (3- to 20-fold) in the percentage of a late-eluting aspartyl-tRNA over that found in nonmalignant tissues, other animal tumors, and in human melanomas and sarcomas. The ability of the late-eluting aspartyl-tRNAAspIV to bind to ribosomes in the presence of the codons for aspartic acid was compared to that of aspartyl-tRNAAspIII and was found to be approximately the same. Also, the ability of each of the 4 isoaccepting species of aspartyl-tRNA to engage in ribosomal incorporation of aspartic acid into a polypeptide was determined. All 4 isoacceptors function equally well in the amino acid incorporation.
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PMID:The distribution and properties of aspartyl transfer RNA in human and animal tumors. 16 64

The three ras genes code for proteins with a putative role in cellular signal transduction. They belong to a larger family of small guanosine-triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins. The ras proteins acquire transforming activity when amino acids are substituted at one of a few specific sites, as a result of a point mutation in the gene. In about one third of adenocarcinomas of the lung, a K-ras mutation is present in codon 12 of the gene. Patients with early stages of K-ras mutation-positive tumors have a very unfavorable prognosis, even if apparently radical resection of the tumor has taken place. K-ras mutations are very rare among nonsmokers, and it is reasonable to assume that carcinogens in tobacco smoke directly cause the mutation. The types of ras mutations found in lung cancer are different from those in gastrointestinal malignancies. Colon cancer is mainly associated with mutations leading to substitution of the normal glycine at amino acid position 12 of K-ras by either valine or aspartic acid, and mutations in N-ras are not exceptional. In contrast, the predominant mutation in lung cancer leads to substitution of cysteine in codon 12. Several other members of the ras gene superfamily are also expressed in human lung cancer, but a possible relationship with lung tumorigenesis remains to be established.
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PMID:The ras gene family in human non-small-cell lung cancer. 132 34

A novel cyclic tetrapeptide containing L-arginine-glycine-L-aspartic acid-L-phenylglycine (cyclo-RGDPhg) was synthesized and found to be a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation induced by highly metastatic murine squamous cell carcinoma (SCCVII) cells (IC50 = 3.3 microM) as well as ADP (1.5 microM). This cyclic peptide, however, showed similar or less inhibitory activities on adhesion of SCCVII cells to fibronectin, vitronectin and type IV collagen as compared with those of parent linear tetrapeptide, RGDS. These results show that cyclo-RGDPhg peptide is a highly specific antagonist for gpIIb/IIIa on platelets. Moreover, this peptide failed to suppress pulmonary metastasis of SCCVII cells in an experimental metastasis model. These results indicate that RGD peptide-mediated inhibition of tumor metastasis is attributed to the suppression of cell adhesion but not platelet aggregation. These also suggest that platelet aggregation is not an essential step during blood circulation of tumor cells for the completion of metastasis.
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PMID:A novel Arg-Gly-Asp containing peptide specific for platelet aggregation and its effect on tumor metastasis: a possible mechanism of RGD peptide-mediated inhibition of tumor metastasis. 138 Dec 72

Cell-cell interactions play an important role in the development of cartilage. Heterologous and homologous cell-cell interactions are critical for chondrogenic differentiation during development. Cell-cell interactions in the formation of fracture callus and cartilage neoplasia also invoke the process of cartilage differentiation. We have investigated cell-cell interactions between articular chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts and show that there was enhanced binding between these two cell types compared to background binding of the labelled cells to the tissue culture plastic surface. The binding of chondrocytes to fibroblasts was temperature- and calcium-dependent, suggesting ligand-integrin involvement. The peptide, GRGDSP, which competes with the ligand-integrin through the tripeptide RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid), almost completely inhibited chondrocyte attachment to synovial fibroblasts. The control peptide, GRGESP, had no inhibitory effect on binding. Antibodies to fibronectin (Fn) inhibited chondrocyte attachment by about 50%. Monoclonal antibodies to the alpha and beta chains of the fibronectin receptor (FnR) interfered with the attachment of chondrocytes to synovial fibroblasts. A combination of antibodies to Fn and to FnR did not completely abrogate chondrocyte binding, suggesting that other ligand-receptors were involved in the adhesion process. Chondrocytes and fibroblasts were shown to express membrane-associated Fn and FnR, by immunofluorescence. The alpha and beta chains of FnR, migrating at 110 and 140 kDa, respectively, could be immunoprecipitated from [35S]methionine-labelled synovial fibroblasts and chondrocytes. Northern blots showed the presence of mRNA for the alpha and beta chains of fibronectin receptors in fibroblasts and chondrocytes. Changes in cell shape were observed in chondrocytes on attachment to fibroblasts, i.e. the chondrocytes appeared fibroblast-like, suggesting that the chondrocytes had dedifferentiated. These studies suggest that chondrocytes specifically bind to synovial fibroblasts through RGD-dependent receptors. beta 1 Integrins are involved in this adhesion process and these heterlogous cell interactions appear to have a negative influence on chondrogenic differentiation.
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PMID:Tripeptide RGD-dependent adhesion of articular chondrocytes to synovial fibroblasts. 138 77

The relative contribution of de-novo and salvage synthesis to tissue pyrimidine nucleotide pools is an important parameter in the rational design of anti-pyrimidine therapies, but has not been measured in vivo. We have measured the contribution of de-novo synthesis to the total acid-soluble uracil nucleotide pool in mouse tissues by analysis of the incorporation of label after intra-peritoneal infusion of L-[15N]alanine. The contribution of salvage synthesis was measured by the incorporation of radiolabel after intravenous infusion of [14C]uridine. The results show that de-novo synthesis makes the larger contribution to the intestine uracil nucleotide pool, salvage synthesis makes the larger contribution to the kidney pool, and de-novo and salvage synthesis make roughly equal contributions to the liver pool. In tumors studied (L1210, P388, B16, Nettesheim), the contribution of de-novo synthesis was at least five times the contribution of salvage synthesis. The measurements were repeated 24 hours after a 400-mg/kg dose of N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartic acid. De-novo synthesis was substantially inhibited in all tissues and tumors after this treatment, although significant residual activity was observed in the intestine and L1210 cells. Nettesheim carcinoma was the only tumor or tissue to show a significant increase in salvage synthesis after N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartic acid treatment.
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PMID:Contribution of de-novo and salvage synthesis to the uracil nucleotide pool in mouse tissues and tumors in vivo. 144 77

Modulation of pyrimidine metabolism or the metabolic fate of 5-fluorouracil by a number of different agents has permitted a significant increase in the response rate to this agent, particularly for colorectal cancers. Brequinar, a noncompetitive inhibitor of mitochondrial dihydroorotate dehydrogenase has been shown to achieve a tumor-specific modulation of the therapeutic effect of 5-fluorouracil. A selective decrease of uridine nucleotide pools in Colon tumor 38 compared to normal tissues of C57/BL6 mice was observed after Brequinar administration. This effect was achieved with very low nontherapeutic doses of Brequinar (8 to 27% of the maximum tolerated dose in this model). Pretreatment with Brequinar 4 and 24 h prior to administration of [3H]fluorouracil significantly increased incorporation of the fluoropyrimidine into Colon 38 tumor RNA, while minimal effects were seen in normal tissues of C57/BL6 mice. Brequinar (15, 30, and 50 mg/kg) was administered 4 h prior to fluorouracil (85 mg/kg) on a weekly basis in Colon 38-bearing mice. All combinations potentiated 5-fluorouracil antitumor activity and the lowest dose of Brequinar (15 mg/kg) showed a reduced toxicity (weight loss) compared to the same dose of 5-fluorouracil as a single agent. When Brequinar preceded fluorouracil by 24 h, greater toxicity and less antitumor activity were observed. A comparison of the optimal Brequinar-fluorouracil regimen with a previously optimized N-(phosphonoacetyl)-L-aspartic acid-fluorouracil combination in Colon 38 tumor indicated that Brequinar-fluorouracil was more effective and less toxic.
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PMID:Brequinar potentiates 5-fluorouracil antitumor activity in a murine model colon 38 tumor by tissue-specific modulation of uridine nucleotide pools. 155 Oct 97

We have previously shown that transfection of NIH 3T3 cells with the T24 H-ras oncogene converts the cells to a tumorigenic and metastatic phenotype, in proportion to levels of ras expression. We hypothesize that ras-induced increases in malignancy occur via altered expression of various genes. We have identified OPN (osteopontin; also known as Secreted Phosphoprotein, 2ar, Eta-1, and transformation-associated phosphoprotein) as a ras-induced gene in these cells. We report here that expression of OPN RNA and secretion of OPN protein are increased in a series of ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells, in proportion to levels of expression of ras. Detection of secreted OPN protein was facilitated by a barium citrate precipitation procedure. Although the function of this protein in tumor cells is not known, OPN contains a conserved GRGDS (glycine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine) amino acid sequence, which may function as a cell attachment site for this protein. We speculate that increased expression of OPN contributes to the increased malignancy of ras oncogene-transformed NIH 3T3 cells, perhaps by alterations in either adhesive properties or integrin-mediated signal transduction pathways.
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PMID:Induction of expression of osteopontin (OPN; secreted phosphoprotein) in metastatic, ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells. 156 80


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