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

Recent reports have suggested that tissue-type plasminogen activator activity is regulated by estrogen in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced rat mammary carcinoma type I cells but is not necessarily regulated by estrogen in type II mammary carcinoma cells. We have compared the biological features of these two types of mammary carcinoma cells and have found that, although there is no difference in estrogen receptor content between these two cell types, the plasminogen activator activity markedly differs. Tissue-type plasminogen activator activity is significantly higher in type I carcinoma than in type II carcinoma, urokinase-type activity is significantly higher in type II carcinoma than in type I carcinoma. When these two types were compared in terms of rate of tumor growth, type II carcinomas clearly showed more rapid growth than type I carcinomas. Survival studies showed significantly shorter survival of type II tumor-bearing rats compared with type I tumor-bearing rats. Furthermore, type II carcinomas contained a greater proportion of aneuploid cells than type I carcinomas. These results suggest that type II carcinoma cells, in which estrogen is unable to regulate tissue-type plasminogen activator activity, are considered to be of a higher grade of malignancy than type I carcinoma cells.
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PMID:Demonstration of a possible link between high grade malignancy in dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced rat mammary carcinoma and increased urokinase plasminogen activator content. 152 Sep 14

Right atrial thrombi are usually immobile. However, a mobile type mimicking a cardiac tumor, especially myxoma, has been described on rare occasions. We report here a case of atrial thrombus which was mobile in the cardiac chambers. A 29-year-old male was admitted because of exertional dyspnea. On admission, his echocardiogram showed an abnormal mass in the right atrium with a stalk attached to the interatrial septum. It decreased in size on the next day. On the fourth day of admission, it moved to the right ventricle. Multiple pulmonary emboli were revealed by the lung perfusion scintigram. Two days after the administration of intravenous urokinase, the abnormal mass in the cardiac chambers was no longer seen on the echocardiogram. This was a rare case of mobile atrial thrombus associated with multiple pulmonary emboli. Thrombolytic therapy appeared to be effective in this case.
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PMID:A case of right atrial mobile thrombus complicating multiple pulmonary emboli. 152 94

Okadaic acid (OA), a potent mouse skin tumor promoter and inhibitor of the protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, was investigated for its effects on the expression of tumor-associated early and secondary response genes in mouse keratinocytes. Adult mice were treated topically with 12.5 nmol of OA, and the steady-state levels of various gene transcripts in the skin were determined at different times after treatment. The nuclear proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-jun are referred to as early response genes because the classical tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induces their expression to maximal levels within 2 h after treatment. OA induced the expression of c-fos 2-72 h after treatment, with two peaks at 6 and 48 h. The steady-state level of expression of c-jun was relatively high in untreated skin, and OA induced a slight increase in its expression from 12 to 48 h after treatment. Transin and plasminogen-activator (PA) urokinase, whose induced expression peaks at least 4 h after TPA treatment, are referred to as secondary response genes. OA induced their expression more slowly than TPA. In mouse papilloma cell line 308, OA induced higher and more sustained steady-state levels of c-jun and c-fos than an equimolar dose of TPA. Transin and PA-urokinase were induced to similar levels by TPA and OA in 308 cells; however, the induction of these genes by OA was slower than induction by TPA. The existence of different patterns of induced expression of early and secondary response genes by OA and TPA suggests that these tumor promoters affect gene expression in mouse keratinocytes through different pathways.
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PMID:Okadaic acid induces the expression of both early and secondary response genes in mouse keratinocytes. 154 37

The presence of plasminogen activators (PA) in a variety of solid tumors appears to correlate, in a number of instances, with enhanced invasive or metastatic capabilities. In the present study, we have immunocytochemically examined basal cell (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) comprising a spectrum of histologic subtypes for the presence of urokinase-type (uPA) and tissue-type (tPA) PA. Neither uPA nor tPA was noted in any BCC, whether of the nodular, infiltrative, morpheaform, or basosquamous variety. uPA but not tPA was seen in 12 of 16 SCC examined; the tumors lacking uPA were all histologically well differentiated. No relationship between uPA expression and depth of invasion was noted, and uPA was not preferentially expressed at tumor borders. We conclude that uPA presence in SCC may relate to the degree of differentiation.
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PMID:Urokinase plasminogen activator is immunocytochemically detectable in squamous cell but not basal cell carcinomas. 154 44

Increased levels of both the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, and the serine protease, uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), are present in solid tumors and are correlated with malignancy. uPA is released by tumor cells as an inactive single-chain proenzyme (pro-uPA) which has to be activated by proteolytic cleavage. We analyzed in detail the action of the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, on recombinant human pro-uPA. Enzymatic assays, SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis revealed that cathepsin L is a potent activator of pro-uPA. As determined by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis, activation of pro-uPA by cathepsin L is achieved by cleavage of the Lys158-Ile159 peptide bond, a common activation site of serine proteases such as plasmin and kallikrein. Similar to cathepsin B (Kobayashi et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1991) 266, 5147-5152) cleavage of pro-uPA by cathepsin L was most effective at acidic pH (molar ratio of cathepsin L to pro-uPA of 1:2,000). Nevertheless, even at pH 7.0, pro-uPA was activated by cathepsin L, although a 10-fold higher concentration of cathepsin L was required. As tumor cells may produce both pro-uPA and cathepsin L, implications for the activation of tumor cell-derived pro-uPA by cathepsin L may be considered. Different pathways of activation of pro-uPA in tumor tissues may coexist: (i) autocatalytic intrinsic activation of pro-uPA; (ii) activation by serine proteases (plasmin, kallikrein, Factor XIIa); and (iii) activation by cysteine proteases (cathepsin B and L).
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PMID:Effective activation of the proenzyme form of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) by the cysteine protease cathepsin L. 155 16

Plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) is a potent and primary inhibitor of urokinase-type plasminogen activator. Its production in monocytic cells is thought to play an important role in the control of localized proteolysis at sites of invasion as occurs in the control of inflammatory processes, tumor invasion and cellular differentiation. Therefore, we have investigated the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of PAI-2 gene expression in differentiating monocytic cells using the human promyelocytic cell line, HL-60, as a model. These cells are induced to differentiate to a macrophage-like phenotype in response to phorbol ester [4-phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)]. The levels of PAI-2 mRNA are barely detectable in undifferentiated cells, however, activation with PMA is associated with a rapid induction of PAI-2 transcripts, reaching a maximum of 25-fold in 4 h. Nuclear run on assays demonstrate that this induction is related primarily to an enhanced rate of gene transcription. Inhibition of de novo protein synthesis by cycloheximide increases PAI-2 mRNA levels in both resting (sevenfold) and PMA-treated cells (fivefold) after 4 h, but has no detectable effect on the rate of PAI-2 gene transcription. The initial apparent half-life of the induced PAI-2 mRNA, determined by actinomycin-D-decay experiments, is very short, 32 min, suggesting rapid turnover. Furthermore, the PAI-2 mRNA transcript is stabilized in the presence of cycloheximide, with a fourfold increase in the observed half-life. The results demonstrate that PAI-2 gene expression is regulated through post-transcriptional mechanisms in undifferentiated cells, while both transcriptional and post-transcriptional events govern the level of PAI-2 transcripts in cells differentiated along the monocytic pathway. Destabilization of the PAI-2 transcript may be associated with (A + U)-rich sequences found in the 3'-untranslated region of PAI-2 mRNA. The short half life and rapid, strong induction of PAI-2 point to an important, perhaps crucial, role in the differentiation of monocyte cells.
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PMID:Control of plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 2 gene expression in the differentiation of monocytic cells. 155 80

Transfection of mouse Y1 adrenal tumor cells with DNA encoding mutant type I regulatory subunit generated stable transformants in which the basal activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was repressed. As expected, steroidogenesis in these kinase-deficient cells was no longer stimulated by corticotropin or cAMP analogues, and the expression of three cAMP-regulated genes (ornithine decarboxylase, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, and P450 side-chain cleavage) could no longer be induced. However, in addition to the loss of hormone responsiveness, the basal level of steroidogenesis and the constitutive expression of these cAMP-inducible genes was also repressed in kinase-defective mutant clones. To verify that functional cA-PK would revert this repressed phenotype, we transfected a cA-PK defective subclone of Y1 cells, Kin 8, with DNA encoding the C alpha and C beta subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Basal levels of steroid production were restored to normal in stable transformants, and the elevation of kinase activity following induction of the C-subunit expression vectors elicited a steroidogenic response. Gene transcription was also shown to be regulated by either C alpha or C beta as measured by the induction of plasminogen activator and ornithine decarboxylase mRNA levels and transcription rates. The dominant role played by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in these adrenal cells was demonstrated by experiments showing the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase gene expression by protein kinase C requires basal cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity.
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PMID:Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase controls basal gene activity and steroidogenesis in Y1 adrenal tumor cells. 156 25

Interactive regulation of gene expression by retinoic acid (RA) and adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in mammary tumor cells was explored using Shionogi mouse mammary carcinoma cells (SC115) as a model and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) as a target gene product. Twenty-four hour treatment of SC115 cells with 100 nM RA, 1 mM 8-bromo-cAMP (BrcAMP), and 100 nM RA + 1 mM BrcAMP resulted in extracellular uPA activity increases of 1.4-fold, sevenfold, and 20-fold, respectively. These effects were dose-dependent with regard to both interacting members. Similar responses were obtained if 1 nM cholera toxin or 10 microM forskolin was used instead of the cAMP analog. Retinoids lacking the carboxylic acid function were inactive. The changes in uPA activity were accompanied by similar changes in uPA antigen concentration, as seen via Western blot analysis, and uPA mRNA abundance, as seen via Northern blot analysis. Actinomycin D, an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, blocked uPA stimulation by BrcAMP, suggesting that mRNA levels were transcriptionally regulated. The effect of BrcAMP on extracellular uPA activity was first evident at 2 h and peaked at approximately 6 h; the effect of RA alone and the synergistic response to joint treatment, however, followed a slower time course, requiring at least 12 h for initial expression and increasing gradually with time up to at least 48 h. Priming with RA for 48 h followed by extensive washing of the cells resulted in a threefold enhancement of the stimulatory effect of BrcAMP on uPA. Experiments utilizing the casein/plasminogen overlay method for the detection of uPA secretion by increased rate of uPA secretion per cell rather than to an increased fraction of uPA-secreting cells. Initial investigation of the mechanism of RA potentiation of cAMP responsiveness showed that RA did not alter cellular cAMP levels or total cAMP-dependent protein kinase A activity. Finally, the tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate, an activator of protein kinase C, also increased SC115 cell uPA activity and synergized with RA. This raised the possibility that the enhancement of cAMP responsiveness by RA was indirectly mediated via an effect on protein kinase C. Experiments with protein kinase C-depleted cells, however, showed that this was not the case. In conclusion, RA treatment of SC115 cells potentiates the effect of cAMP on uPA expression at the single cell level via a partially irreversible mechanism independent of protein kinase C. The molecular target of RA and whether SC115 cell differentiation underlies the effect of RA remain to be established.
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PMID:Retinoic acid priming potentiates the induction of urokinase-type plasminogen activator by cyclic adenosine monophosphate in mouse mammary carcinoma cells. 164 61

Basement membranes (BM) are elements of the extracellular matrix that are essential for growth and differentiation of tissues. Several collagenolytic enzymes of tumor cells are involved in degradation of the extracellular matrix; growth and inhibitor factors [e.g. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Transforming Growth Factors alpha and beta (TGF-alpha, beta)] seem to be involved in the extracellular matrix formation and degradation. To establish a possible association between the presence of collagenase (C), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the neoplastic growth of the endometrium, 44 endometrial specimens (14 proliferative, 11 secretive, 7 adenomatous hyperplasia, 12 adenocarcinoma) were studied using immunohistochemistry with antisera for C, uPA, EGF receptors and TGF-alpha. Immunostaining for collagenase revealed a positive reaction in moderately differentiated adeno-carcinoma without staining the normal and hyperplastic endometrium. A progressive increase in uPA immunostaining was observed in proliferative and neoplastic endometrium. TGF-alpha and its receptor (EGFr) were stained in proliferative and more clearly in hyperplastic and carcinomatous endometrium. In conclusion, BM play an important role in proliferation and differentiation of human endometrium; their degradation influences estrogen transportation from blood to the stroma. Endometrial BM degradation is associated with the presence of collagenolytic enzymes and growth factors.
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PMID:Basement membrane in human endometrium: possible role of proteolytic enzymes in developing hyperplasia and carcinoma. 164 21

There is increasing evidence that urokinase secreted by tumor cells can be bound to a cell surface receptor retaining its full potential to activate plasminogen and subsequently cleave basement membrane constituents. This study was undertaken to discriminate between soluble and cell surface bound urokinase as a potential mediator of in vitro invasion by cultured colon cancer. Extracellular matrix invasion by a colon cancer cell line GEO, characterized as being a poor secretor of urokinase and having few receptors (less than 10(4) receptors/cell) was not augmented when these cells were made to secrete up to 8 times as much urokinase, in response to an exogenous urokinase gene driven by the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat promoter. The majority of the plasminogen activator (greater than 95%) appeared in the culture medium, this reflecting the low numbers of binding sites displayed by GEO cells. In contrast, the cell line HCT 116 equipped with 10 times as many binding sites, (greater than 10(5)/cell), the majority of which are occupied with endogenous ligand, was an efficient invader of the extracellular matrix. Inhibition of urokinase binding to the cell surface receptors using an antibody to the A chain of the plasminogen activator reduced invasion by 65%. The cell line RKO is equipped with 3 x 10(5) receptors/cell, 15% of which are tagged with endogenous urokinase. Pretreatment of these cells with a concentration range of urokinase known to result in the majority of these binding sites being charged with the plasminogen activator led to a dose dependent increase in extracellular matrix invasion. Together, these data suggest that for cultured colon cancer, at least, invasion is a function of the amount of cell surface receptor bound urokinase.
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PMID:Role of the urokinase receptor in facilitating extracellular matrix invasion by cultured colon cancer. 164 43


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