Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027819 (neuroblastoma)
 27,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Radioligand binding and functional assays were employed to demonstrate the existence of somatostatin receptors in the murine neuroblastoma clone N1E-115. Saturation experiments with [125I][Tyr11]somatostatin-14 indicated the presence of a single class of binding sites in membranes prepared from N1E-115 cells (Kd = 83 pM; Bmax = 21,000 receptors/cell). Somatostatin-14, somatostatin-28 and L363586 (cyclo(N-Me-ALA-TYR-D-TRP-LYS-VAL-PHE] all displaced the 125I-ligand monophasically in N1E-115 cells (Ki values were 28, 82 and 34 pM, respectively), which contrasted with the binding heterogeneity apparent with L363586 in rat brain membranes. The binding of [125I][Tyr11]somatostatin-14 was reduced by GppNHp, indicating that N1E-115 somatostatin receptors interacted with guanine nucleotide binding protein(s). Somatostatin agonists decreased by 30-50% the levels of [3H]cyclic AMP induced in intact cells by forskolin, prostaglandin E1, or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. The EC50 values for inhibition of the [3H]cyclic AMP response to PGE1 by L363586, somatostatin-14, and somatostatin-28 were 0.24, 0.63 and 1.0 nM, respectively. Pertussis toxin treatment of N1E-115 cells reduced both binding to the receptor and the functional response to somatostatin-14. These data suggest that a single class of somatostatin receptors in N1E-115 cells are linked to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase through a Gi protein.
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PMID:Biochemical evidence for somatostatin receptors in murine neuroblastoma clone N1E-115. 256 62

Rubrophilin, a unique brain specific polypeptide, was purified to apparent homogeneity from microsomal fractions of bovine brains. The peptide stains pink with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 (C.I. No. 42660) under specific conditions, has an apparent Mr of 53,000, and is acidic with an apparent pI of 4.9. The purification involves initial solubilization of delipidated microsomes in sodium dodecyl sulfate, followed by ammonium sulfate fractionation, reversed ammonium sulfate gradient elution from diatomaceous earth, gel filtration on polyacrylamide (Biogel P-200), gradient elution chromatography from hydroxylapatite, and reverse-phase chromatography from phenyl-Sepharose. A yield of about 5 mg of rubrophilin was obtained from 9 g of microsomal proteins. Amino acid analysis shows that rubrophilin contains only nine amino acids with residues/mol as follows: alanine (102), glutamic acid (97), lysine (65), proline (55), aspartic acid (48), glycine (44), serine (37), threonine (35), and valine (10). Cysteine, methionine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, histidine, and arginine could not be detected. Relative rubrophilin content of vertebrate brains was as follows: mammals greater than birds greater than reptiles greater than fishes. It is present in mouse retina and human neuroblastoma cell cultures but could not be detected in octopus optic lobe or in cultured C-6 rat glioma cells.
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PMID:Purification and properties of rubrophilin: a novel brain specific membrane polypeptide. 380 7

Reduced expression of nm23 RNAs/proteins has been associated previously with high tumor metastatic potential. In contrast, we report that regional (state III) and metastatic (stage IV) childhood neuroblastomas exhibit elevated nm23 RNA levels as compared with localized tumors. Elevated neuroblastoma nm23 RNA levels were associated with significant reductions in patient survival in the overall (n = 75) and N-myc non-amplified (n = 61) portion of the cohort. Amplification of the chromosomal nm23-H1 gene was observed in 6/18 stage III and IV tumors; amplification of nm23-H2 was not demonstrated. Genomic amplification of nm23-H1 was associated with increased tumor nm23 RNA expression and reduced patient survival. Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was performed on seven neuroblastomas. Minor subpopulations of cDNAs exhibiting altered mobility were apparent in both nm23-H1 and nm23-H2 translated regions of stage III and IV tumors, suggestive of mutations. Confirmation of the SSCP data was provided by direct sequencing of nm23-H2 in a stage IV tumor, revealing a leucine to valine mutation at position 48. The data indicate that molecular alterations to nm23 other than its reduced expression can be associated with tumor aggressiveness, and provide the first evidence for nm23 mutation in a human cancer.
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PMID:Evidence for nm23 RNA overexpression, DNA amplification and mutation in aggressive childhood neuroblastomas. 838 56

Cell culture techniques, high-resolution in vitro 1H NMR spectroscopy, and chromatographic analyses were used to compare the properties of three types of human brain and nervous system tumours. Cell lines were immunocytochemically characterized at all stages in culture with specific antibodies. Intracellular metabolites present in cell extracts were analysed by 1H NMR spectroscopy and by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The spectra from meningiomas, neuroblastomas, and glioblastomas displayed, in addition to similarities-including the presence of signals from leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, lactate, acetate, glutamate, choline-containing compounds and glycine-certain distinguishing metabolic features. Spectra from meningiomas featured relatively high signals from alanine. Intense signals from creatine were present in neuroblastoma spectra, while in spectra from glioblastoma they were not detectable. We found statistically significant differences by 1H NMR spectroscopy in the amounts of alanine, glutamate, creatine, phosphorylcholine and threonine among the types of tumours examined. HPLC determinations confirmed that there were also other metabolites specific to a type of tumour, such as taurine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and serine. We suggest that these findings have potential relevance for the development of non-invasive diagnosis of tumour lineage by 1H NMR spectroscopy in vivo.
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PMID:Characteristic metabolic profiles revealed by 1H NMR spectroscopy for three types of human brain and nervous system tumours. 873 81

Variants of the prototype Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVE-1-51) were selected by serial plaque purification and amplification in monkey kidney (Vero) cells. Four clones (C1-C4) at passage levels two and nine (P2 and P9) were examined in 21-day-old Swiss outbred mice for neuroinvasiveness (assessed from LD50 values after intraperitoneal inoculation) and neurovirulence (LD50 values after intracranial inoculation). The growth characteristics of the clones were determined in intracranially inoculated mouse brain and in mouse neuroblastoma, Vero and mosquito (C6/36) cell lines. Genomic RNA of the cloned virus stocks was sequenced through the structural protein genes (E, prM/M and C) and the 5' untranslated region. Clone C2P2 was of high neuroinvasiveness whereas C2P9 was of low neuroinvasiveness; there were also decreased yields of C2P9 in C6/36 cells compared to C2P2 and MVE-1-51. These changes were associated with the substitution of valine for phenylalanine at amino acid position 141 of the C2P9 E protein. Clone C4P2 was of high neurovirulence and low neuroinvasiveness; C4P9 was of low neurovirulence, a change accompanied by a further reduction in neuroinvasiveness. Concomitantly, C4P9 showed a pronounced reduction in growth rates and yields in 21-day-old Swiss mouse brain, in mouse neuroblastoma cells and in C6/36 cells compared to parental virus. The phenotypic changes in clone 4 appear to be due to mutation(s) within non-structural protein genes.
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PMID:Neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness of Murray Valley encephalitis virus mutants selected by passage in a monkey kidney cell line. 904 32

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) composed of chick alpha7 subunits mutated to threonine at amino acid valine-251 in the putative channel-lining M2 domain were expressed heterologously in several neuron-like and non-neuronal mammalian cell lines. Expression of mutant alpha7-nAChR is toxic to neuron-like cells of the human neuroblastoma cell lines SH-SY5Y and IMR-32, but not to several other cell types. Growth in the presence of the alpha7-nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA) protects against neurotoxicity, as does gradual downregulation of functional, mutant alpha7-nAChR in surviving transfected SH-SY5Y cells. Relative to wild-type alpha7-nAChR, functional alpha7-nAChR mutants show a higher affinity for agonists, slower rates of desensitization, and sensitivity to dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DHbetaE) as an agonist, but they retain sensitivity to MLA as a competitive antagonist. These findings demonstrate that expression of hyperfunctional, mutant forms of Ca2+-permeable alpha7-nAChR is toxic to neuron-like cells.
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PMID:Neurotoxicity of channel mutations in heterologously expressed alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. 1140 78

We previously reported a high incidence of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 2q33 in neuroblastoma (NB), observed in various types of human cancers including lung cancer, head and neck cancer and follicular thyroid carcinoma. To better elucidate the role of chromosome 2q aberrations in NB, we examined common allelic imbalance (AI) regions on chromosome 2q in 82 NB patients using 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers. AI on 2q was detected in 26 (32%) of 82 NB cases. There was a distinct common AI region between the D2S115 and D2S307 markers on 2q33. The distance between these markers was about 2.0 cM. Recently, the caspase 8 and caspase 10 genes, both of which encode cystein protease, were mapped to chromosome 2q33. Since the common AI region on 2q33 includes the caspase 8 and caspase 10 genes, the alterations of these genes were examined further. Absent or reduced expression of caspase 8 and caspase 10 were found in 19 (70%) of 27 and two (7%) of 27 NB cell lines by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. A missense mutation was detected at codon 96, GCT (Alanine) to GTT (Valine), of the caspase 8 gene in one of the NB cell lines lacking caspase 8 expression. Thirteen (68%) of 19 cell lines lacking caspase 8 expression displayed methylation of the CpG island of the caspase 8 gene, whereas only one (13%) of eight cell lines with caspase 8 expression showed caspase 8 methylation (P=0.031). Furthermore, there was a significant association between AI at 2q33 and loss of caspase 8 expression (P=0.026). These results indicated that there was a tumor suppressor gene in the common AI region on chromosome 2q33 involved in the pathogenesis of a subset of NB. It is possible that the caspase 8 gene is one of the candidate tumor suppressor genes for NB and inactivation of this gene plays an important role in the tumorigenesis of NB through mainly its methylation.
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PMID:Allelic imbalance on chromosome 2q and alterations of the caspase 8 gene in neuroblastoma. 1146 26

[reaction: see text] Condensation of L-valine benzyl ester toluenesulfonic acid salt with a substituted cyclohexadione followed by aromatization with the assistance of NBS provides an N-aryl L-valine benzyl ester. This intermediate is converted into 7-substituted benzolactam-V8s using an asymmetric Strecker reaction as the key step. The target molecules show a different pattern of isozyme selectivity relative to the 8-substituted benzolactam-V8s.
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PMID:Synthesis of 7-substituted benzolactam-V8s and their selectivity for protein kinase C isozymes. 1209 51

Ab affinity maturation in vivo is always accompanied by negative selection to maintain Ag specificity. In contrast, in vitro affinity maturation can lead to epitope spread, resulting in loss of specificity. Anti-ganglioside-GD2 mAbs are clinically effective against neuroblastoma; pain and neuropathy are major side effects. We used structural relatives of GD2 to define epitope spread during in vitro affinity maturation of an anti-GD2 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) called 5F11-scFv. Clonal dominance identified by polyclonal sequencing was confirmed by analyzing individual clones. Affinity-matured mutations were introduced into scFv-streptavidin for functional studies. Without a negative selector, 19-fold affinity improvement (clone Q, where Q is the symbol for glutamine) was associated with strong cross-reactivity with GM2 and GD1b and moderate cross-reactivity with GD3, resulting in positive immunohistochemical staining of all 13 non-neural normal human tissues, in contrast to none of 13 tissues with parental clone P. With GM2 as a negative selector, clone Y (where Y is the symbol for tyrosine) was generated with only weak cross-reactivity with GD1b, adrenal and thyroid glands, and no staining of other non-neural normal tissues. Even though there was only a 3-fold affinity improvement, clone Y showed significantly higher tumor uptake over parental clone P (134%, p = 0.04), whereas clone Q was inferior (54% of clone P; p = 0.05) as confirmed by tumor-to-normal tissue ratios across 16 organs (41% of clone P; p < 0.0001). Using the less efficient negative selector GD3, a clone mixture (Q, V, and Y, where V is the symbol for valine) emerged. We conclude that epitope spread during affinity maturation can be reduced by negative selection. Furthermore, efficiency of the negative selector depends on its cross-reactive affinity with the matured scFv.
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PMID:Reducing epitope spread during affinity maturation of an anti-ganglioside GD2 antibody. 1981 1

An amphiphilic peptide with a 3-arginine stretch and a 6-valine stretch (R3V6) has been previously reported to deliver plasmid DNA (pDNA) into cells with no toxicity. Here, the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor binding peptide (VRBP) was linked to R3V6 to promote endothelial-specific gene delivery. The pDNA/VRBP-linked R3V6 (VRBP-R3V6) complex was physically characterized via various methods. In a gel retardation assay, pDNA was completely retarded by VRBP-R3V6 at a weight ratio of 1:2 (pDNA:peptide). VRBP-R3V6 also protected pDNA from DNase I for longer than 60 min. Heparin competition assay showed that the pDNA/VRBP-R3V6 complex did not release pDNA when heparin was introduced at a two-fold weight excess of pDNA. In vitro transfection showed that VRBP-R3V6 had transfection efficiency into endothelial cells approximately 200 times greater than that of R3V6. In addition, the transfection efficiency was further enhanced into hypoxic endothelial cells. However, in human embryonic kidney 293 and neuroblastoma N2A cells, VRBP-R3V6 only achieved a transfection rate 10 times higher than R3V6, indicating that VRBP-R3V6 has high specificity for endothelial cells. VRBP-R3V6 was also shown to be nontoxic in a cytotoxicity assay. The data presented here suggest that VRBP-R3V6 may prove useful for specific gene delivery to endothelial cells.
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PMID:VEGF receptor binding peptide-linked amphiphilic peptide with arginines and valines for endothelial cell-specific gene delivery. 2268 93


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