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Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Deregulation of the proto-oncogene MYC by specific chromosomal translocations has been shown to be essential but not sufficient for the development of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). To identify other genes which either mark important steps in tumorigenesis or which reflect the cellular differentiation state of BL cells we have compared tumor cells to immortalized lymphoblastoid B cells by subtractive hybridization. We have identified a complementary DNA clone which encodes a novel member of the superfamily of GTP-binding (G) protein-coupled receptors, designated BLR1. The corresponding mRNA is expressed in BL and lymphatic tissues but not in other cell lines either of the B cell lineage or of other hematopoietic or non-hematopoietic origin. This exclusive expression of BLR1 and the oncogenic potential of this receptor class supports the hypothesis that BLR1 exerts a regulatory function in BL lymphomagenesis and/or B cell differentiation. Moreover, the protein sequence is highly related to that of receptors for the cytokine interleukin (IL)-8 and other neutrophil chemoattractants. We conclude that BLR1 may represent a potential candidate involved in the process of physiologic trafficking, cell-cell interactions, and activation of mature B lymphocytes in lymphatic tissues.
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PMID:Differentiation-specific expression of a novel G protein-coupled receptor from Burkitt's lymphoma. 142 7

The binding of natural killer (NK) cells to either susceptible tumor cells or antibody-coated targets results in rapid activation of phospholipase C (PLC) in NK cells. PLC activation generates inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate and sn-1,2-diacylglycerol as second messengers, which, in turn, increase intracellular free calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and protein kinase C (PKC) activity, respectively. These proximal signals initiate a cascade of as yet undefined biochemical events, leading eventually to the exocytosis of preformed cytotoxic granules. To investigate the signal transduction pathways involved in granule exocytosis, we utilized streptolysin-O-permeabilized human NK cells as our experimental model. Our initial studies indicated that the separate activation of either PKC (using the phorbol ester, PMA) or G protein-dependent pathways (using guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S)) stimulated granule exocytosis in a time-, concentration-, and Ca(2+)-dependent manner. PMA-stimulated exocytosis was inhibited by staurosporine or a PKC pseudosubstrate antagonist peptide, but was not affected by GDP. In contrast, GTP gamma S-stimulated exocytosis was effectively inhibited by GDP, but not by staurosporine or the PKC pseudosubstrate antagonist. These observations suggest that NK cell exocytosis can be stimulated by at least two separate pathways; one involving PKC and the other involving a G protein. However, co-stimulation with PMA and GTP gamma S synergistically enhanced exocytosis, suggesting that even though the two exocytotic pathways were biochemically distinct, cross-talk between the two pathways may potently influence the exocytotic process. These results define a regulatory role for PKC- and G protein-dependent pathways during granule exocytosis from NK cells.
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PMID:Interaction between protein kinase C-dependent and G protein-dependent pathways in the regulation of natural killer cell granule exocytosis. 142 33

Our laboratory has been studying cancer chemopreventive effects of polyphenolic fraction isolated from green tea (GTP). In prior studies we have shown that (a) GTP possesses antigenotoxic effects in various test systems; (b) topical application of GTP protects against UV radiation and chemical carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis in murine skin; and (c) feeding of GTP in drinking water p.o. to mice protects against carcinogen-induced forestomach and lung tumorigenesis. Recently, we showed that in a dose-dependent manner GTP inhibits tumor promoter-caused induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity in SENCAR mice (R. Agarwal et al., Cancer Res., 52: 3582-3588, 1992). In the present study, we assessed the effect of GTP on TPA-induced skin tumor promotion in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-initiated SENCAR mouse. Topical application of varying doses of GTP (1-24 mg) 30 min prior to that of each TPA application resulted in highly significant protection against skin tumor promotion in a dose-dependent manner. The animals pretreated with GTP showed substantially lower tumor body burden such as decrease in total number of tumors per group, number of tumors per animal, tumor volume per mouse, and average volume per tumor, as compared to the animals that did not receive GTP. Since TPA-induced epidermal cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase activities and edema and hyperplasia are conventionally used markers of skin tumor promotion, we also assessed the effect of preapplication of GTP on these parameters. As quantitated by the formation of prostaglandin and hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid metabolites from, respectively, cyclooxygenase- and lipoxygenase-catalyzed metabolism of arachidonic acid, skin application of GTP to SENCAR mice resulted in significant inhibition of TPA-caused effects on these 2 enzymes. Prior application of GTP to mouse skin also resulted in 30-46% inhibition of TPA-induced epidermal edema and hyperplasia. The results of the present study suggest that GTP possesses anti-skin tumor-promoting effects, and that the mechanism of such effects may involve inhibition of tumor promoter-induced epidermal ornithine decarboxylase, cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase activities, edema, and hyperplasia. Further studies are in progress to define which component present in GTP is responsible for its anti-skin tumor-promoting effects.
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PMID:Inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-caused tumor promotion in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-initiated SENCAR mouse skin by a polyphenolic fraction isolated from green tea. 145 78

To investigate genetic heterogeneity during in vitro cultivation of human prostatic carcinomas following radical prostatectomy we performed DNA fingerprinting using the digoxygenin-labeled probes (GACA)4 and (GTG)5. DNA was isolated from fresh material stemming from different areas within one tumor and from cell cultures of the same material. The patterns which were obtained by the nucleolar organizer region (NOR)-specific probe (GACA)4 exhibit only a few prominent low molecular mass bands and no differences were observed between any of the tumors analyzed so far. Changes in the fingerprint pattern occurred between cell cultures derived from different areas within one tumor when the DNA was cleaved by HaeIII and signals detected with the (GTG)5 probe. The "area-specific" pattern was stable during several subcultivations of these cell lines, indicating genetic stability of these prostatic carcinoma cells in vitro. Thus individual cell lines derived from radical prostatectomy seem to represent a biological system very close to the situation in vivo.
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PMID:Genetic heterogeneity of prostatic carcinoma-derived cell lines as emphasized by DNA fingerprinting. 145 81

The animal models for chemoprevention of breast cancer have provided important experimental systems to evaluate the efficacy of tumor suppression by dietary macro- and micronutrients. In the initiation/promotion cascade, early occurring premalignant changes constitute less extensively examined aspects of disease progression. Molecular, endocrine and cellular biomarkers may provide clinically relevant endpoints for prevention of breast cancer that focus on downregulation of preneoplastic transformation. In vitro models derived from non-involved murine and human mammary tissues are utilized to identify molecular, endocrine and cellular markers that are perturbed in response to such diverse initiators as viruses and chemical carcinogens. This upregulation was manifested as persistent Ras p21-GTP binding, altered C16 alpha/C2 hydroxylation of estradiol, and hyperplasia preceding tumorigenesis. Prototypic chemopreventive agents such as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, retinoids, and indole-3-carbinol were capable of downregulating all of the preneoplastic markers perturbed by initiators. Experimental modulation of these biomarkers in murine and human mammary tissue prior to the expression of a fully transformed tumorigenic phenotype is suggestive of their potential clinical application in chemopreventive intervention for breast cancer.
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PMID:Molecular and endocrine biomarkers in non-involved breast: relevance to cancer chemoprevention. 146 96

Ras has been thought to be involved in neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. PC12 cells are immature adrenal chromaffin-like cells which undergo differentiation to sympathetic neuron-like cells in response to nerve growth factor (NGF). Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and interleukin (IL)-6 can also induce differentiation of PC12 cells. In this paper, we report that NGF, FGF, and IL-6 induce an accumulation of an active Ras.GTP complex. In the serum-starved culture of PC12 cells, 6% of the Ras protein was complexed with GTP. Upon stimulation with NGF, the percentage of Ras.GTP increased to 24% after 2 min, and the high level of Ras.GTP was maintained for at least 16 h. On the other hand, the activation of Ras by FGF and IL-6 showed distinct kinetics; about 3-fold increase of Ras.GTP was detected at 10 min, and afterward, the level returned to the basal level within 60 min. These observations provide direct evidence that activation of Ras is involved in signal transduction from these differentiation factors. In addition, it was found that growth factors, including epidermal growth factor, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-I, and a tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), can also activate Ras under the same conditions. A tyrosine kinase-specific inhibitor, genistein, inhibited the increase of Ras.GTP induced by NGF and other factors. On the other hand, down-regulation of protein kinase C (PKC) by prolonged treatment with TPA, which sufficiently blocked TPA-induced Ras activation, did not abolish the formation of Ras.GTP by NGF. These results suggest that tyrosine kinases rather than PKC play a major role in the NGF-induced activation of Ras in PC12 cells.
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PMID:Differentiation factors, including nerve growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and interleukin-6, induce an accumulation of an active Ras.GTP complex in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. 152 65

As a common characteristic of tumor cells, as well as of normal proliferating cells in the G1-phase of cell cycle, one finds constitutive high levels of all the glycolytic metabolites arising between glucose 6-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate. Thus, it is that the phosphometabolites fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, ribose 5-P, P-ribose-PP, NAD, GTP, CTO, UTP, UDP-glucose, glycerol 3-P, glycerol phosphocholine and glycerol phosphoethanolamine are useful in the 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection of solid tumors in animals and man. This expansion of phosphometabolites is achieved during tumor formation as a result of reductions in levels of enzymes degrading phosphometabolites, owing to the decline in the glycerol 3-P hydrogen shuttle, and as a consequence of alterations in the glycolytic isoenzyme equipment. Tumor cells typically express a particular isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase called type M2 (K) at high levels. This isoenzyme is subject to a complex regulation by amino acids, by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and by hormonal- and oncogene-dependent phosphorylation. Pyruvate kinase type M2 is a substrate for the oncogene encoded PP60v-src-tyrosine kinase. A drastic decrease in the affinity for its substrate phosphoenolpyruvate found after transformation by the src-oncogene can be explained as a consequence of the phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase in serine and tyrosine. These phosphorylations induce the breakdown of tetrameric pyruvate kinase to the trimeric and dimeric forms. Unlike the tetrameric form, the dimeric form as a low affinity for phosphoenolpyruvate. Partial inactivation of pyruvate kinase and enolase on the one hand, and a hyperactivation of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase on the other hand, lead to an expansion of all metabolites. Only when these metabolites attain high levels, thereby assuring a sufficient supply of metabolites for RNA, DNA, lipid, and complex carbohydrate synthesis, can cell proliferation proceed. This accumulation of metabolites in the G1-phase cells has been termed a "metabolic budget system" because it senses not only the actual nutrient levels, but also the supply over a period of time. Monoclonal antibodies specific for the dimeric form of pyruvate kinase type M2 can be used for the immunohistological detection of tumor cells. The amount of the dimeric form in tumor cells closely correlates with the degree of malignancy and can be used for a nonspecific detection of tumors based on assays performed with patient's plasma.
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PMID:Double role for pyruvate kinase type M2 in the expansion of phosphometabolite pools found in tumor cells. 153 31

Max and c-Myc proteins, produced in bacteria, were studied for DNA-binding activity using the electrophoretic band-shift assay (EMSA). Both Max homodimers and c-Myc-Max heterodimers selected the same sequence CA(C/T)GTG from an initial pool of 10(6) DNA molecules. From the pool of sequence-specific binding sites, the palindromic site (CACGTG) was preferentially selected over the CATGTG site using two different degenerate oligonucleotide probes. max expression is identical in myc-induced tumor cell lines relative to other cells. Furthermore, max expression is constant in both confluent and serum-stimulated A31 fibroblasts, in contrast to c-myc expression, which is barely detectable in confluent fibroblasts and induced 20-fold by serum growth factors. Based on recognition of the same DNA sequence by Max and c-Myc-Max complexes and differential expression of the two genes, we propose that Max homodimers and c-Myc-Max heterodimers may bind to a common set of cellular target genes.
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PMID:max encodes a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein and is not regulated by serum growth factors. 156 73

Tumor cell lines derived from malignant schwannomas removed from patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have been examined for the level of expression of NF1 protein. All three NF1 lines examined expressed lower levels of NF1 protein than control cells, and the level in one line was barely detectable. The tumor lines expressed normal levels of p120GAP and p21ras. Although the p21ras proteins isolated from the tumor cells had normal (nonmutant) biochemical properties in vitro, they displayed elevated levels of bound GTP in vivo. The level of total cellular GAP-like activity was reduced in extracts from the tumor line that expresses very little NF1 protein. Introduction of the catalytic region of GAP into this line resulted in morphological reversion and lower in vivo GTP binding by endogenous p21ras. These data implicate NF1 protein as a tumor suppressor gene product that negatively regulates p21ras and define a "positive" growth role for ras activity in NF1 malignancies.
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PMID:Abnormal regulation of mammalian p21ras contributes to malignant tumor growth in von Recklinghausen (type 1) neurofibromatosis. 156 46

The neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) gene product, neurofibromin, contains a GTPase-activating protein (GAP)-related domain, or NF1 GRD, that is able to down-regulate p21ras by stimulating its intrinsic GTPase. Since p21ras.GTP is a major regulator of growth and differentiation, mutant neurofibromins resulting from somatic mutations in the NF1 gene might interfere with ras signaling pathways and contribute to the development of tumors. We describe an amino acid substitution in the NF1 GRD, altering Lys-1423, that has occurred in three tumor types: colon adenocarcinoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and anaplastic astrocytoma, and in one family with neurofibromatosis 1. The GAP activity of the mutant NF1 GRD is 200- to 400-fold lower than that of wild type, whereas binding affinity is unaffected. Thus, germline mutations in NF1 that cause neurofibromatosis 1 can also occur in somatic cells and contribute to the development of sporadic tumors, including tumors not associated with neurofibromatosis 1.
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PMID:Somatic mutations in the neurofibromatosis 1 gene in human tumors. 156 47


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