Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have used polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an amplification procedure, and oligonucleotide hybridization to detect ras gene point mutations in DNA from melanoma tumor samples. Genomic DNA was examined from 40 specimens of melanotic lesions, including benign nevi, primary melanomas, lymph node metastases, and systemic metastases. Adjacent normal skin or peripheral blood was analyzed as control material in 28 cases. ras mutations were detected overall in 25% of malignant tumors. In addition, mutations of all three ras genes were detected. We observed ras mutations in 2 of 4 benign atypical nevi (2 X K12), 4 of 22 primary melanomas (3 X K12, 1 X H12, 1 X N61), and 4 of 14 secondary (5 X K12, 1 X N61) tumors. One with a primary melanoma had concurrent K12 and H12, and two patients with secondary tumors had concurrent K12/N61 and K12 Asp/K12 Val mutations, respectively, making a total of 10 of 40 (25%) patients with ras mutations. This is the first demonstration of K-ras mutations in human melanoma. The presence of K-ras mutations in nevi, putative melanoma precursors, suggests that ras activation may be an early event in melanoma development. No correlation between tumor thickness and the presence of a ras mutation was observed.
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PMID:ras mutations in human melanotic lesions: K-ras activation is a frequent and early event in melanoma development. 269 57

Protein kinase C (PKC), a Ca2+-and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, is now known to be regulated by sn-1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) second messengers and is the intracellular phorbol ester receptor. Models of transmembrane signaling events that elicit DAG production include receptor-mediated G protein-dependent activation of phospholipase C. Several products of oncogenes resemble transmembrane signaling elements; critical second-messenger levels may, therefore, be altered by genetic defects in these elements. We found that normal rat kidney cells transformed with ras and sis contained elevated levels of DAG, and cells transformed with temperature-sensitive K-ras had elevated DAG levels at the permissive but not the restrictive temperature. To study the mechanism of PKC activation by phosphatidylserine (PS), DAG, and Ca2+, we used mixed micelles of Triton X-100, and analogous methods to examine PS dependence on [3H]phorbol-dibutyrate binding and activation. PKC activation occurs at physiological mole fractions of PS and DAG and does not require a bilayer. Activation by PS, which was cooperative, required four or more molecules. Activation by DAG was not cooperative and one molecule was sufficient. Monomeric PKC is the active species. Our activation model suggests that PKC binds to Ca2+ and four PS carboxyl groups to form a surface-bound, "primed" but inactive complex. DAG binds to the complex of the four PS carboxyl groups, the Ca2+, and the PKC through three bonds, two to ester carbonyls and one to the 3-hydroxyl moiety. Collectively, these may cause a conformational change and activate the enzyme.
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PMID:Mechanism of regulation of protein kinase C by lipid second messengers. 332 5

With the use of proteins derived from Escherichia coli cells expressing the v-H-ras gene product as immunogens and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with whole cells for a screening method, 4 BALB/c mouse hybridoma cell lines (rp-12, rp-28, rp-35, and rp-38) were isolated that produced monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) showing higher reactivity with murine ras gene-activated cell lines than with normal cell lines. All the MoAbs complexed p21ras from the ras gene-activated cell lines in Western immunoblot analysis and demonstrated a binding property of p21ras to guanine nucleotides. The indirect immunofluorescence assay revealed that MoAbs rp-12 and rp-28 stained the murine and human H- or K-ras-activated cell lines, and MoAbs rp-35 and rp-38 not only stained these cell lines but also weakly stained a human N-ras-activated cell line. All these MoAbs stained the murine fibroblast lines with lower intensity, but they did not stain a human fibroblast line. Further, positive reactions with MoAb rp-12 were seen against human melanomas, but there was no reaction against nevi. The rp-12, rp-28, rp-35, and rp-38 antibodies are useful additions to the MoAbs reacting with p21ras reported previously.
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PMID:Establishment of four mouse hybridoma cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies reactive with ras oncogene product p21. 354 Apr 18

Regulatory or structural alterations of c-onc genes including amplification, rearrangement and point mutation was implicated in the causation of various malignant tumors. However, such changes of molecular levels have not been reported so far in choriocarcinoma cells. In the present study, thus, 5 choriocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed by hybridization using 16 oncogene probes. By Southern blot hybridization of DNA extracted from these cells, 8 fold amplification of c-myc gene and rearrangement of c-fms gene were shown in ENAMI cells, although the role of these alterations remained unknown. Northern blot hybridization performed simultaneously demonstrated multiple expression of c-onc genes. 4 choriocarcinoma cell lines (HCCM, CHl, CCl, ENAMI) expressed at least 11 c-onc genes (H-ras, K-ras, N-ras, c-myc, N-myc, fos, fms, src, yes, erb B and raf); though the degree of expression of H-ras, C-myc, erb B and fms in these cells was either similar or enhanced as compared with normal fibroblast, the expression of two c-onc genes (N-myc and fos) was extremely enhanced. However, expression of K-ras and myb was either low or not detected. The multiple expression of c-onc genes seems to reflect partly on growth advantages of trophoblast. Transfection assay using NIH3T3 cells failed to form any transformed foci. Since choriocarcinoma cells which derived from the transformation of trophoblast of complete mole possess the genetic characteristics identical to the one of cells of complete mole, chromosomal instability was assumed to play a major role for multiple oncogene expression in choriocarcinoma cells.
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PMID:[Analysis of c-onc genes in choriocarcinoma cells]. 369 32

Mutations in the ras genes are key events in the process of carcinogenesis; in particular, point mutations in codon 61 of exon 2 of the N-ras gene occur frequently in cutaneous melanoma. To investigate whether these mutations occur in early or late tumor progression phases, we searched for point mutations in the N- and K-ras genes in 69 primary cutaneous melanoma, 35 metastases, and seven nevocellular nevi in association with cutaneous melanoma. Lesions were microdissected in order to procure pure tumor samples from the distinctive growth phases of the cutaneous melanoma; the very sensitive denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique was used to visualize the mutations, and was followed by sequencing. Point mutations in the N-ras gene but not in the K-ras gene were detected on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Twenty-three primary (33%) and nine metastatic (26%) melanomas showed bandshifts for N-ras. In the majority of cases, mutations occurring in early growth phases (i.e., the "intraepidermal" radial growth phase), were preserved in later growth phases (i.e., the invasive radial growth phase, vertical growth phase, and metastatic phase), which proves the clonal relationship between the successive growth phases. In three cases, however, the mutations differed between the distinctive growth phases within the same cutaneous melanoma, due to the occurrence of an additional mutation (especially in codon 61) in a later tumor progression phase. Our approach also permitted us to analyze the mutational status of nevi, associated with cutaneous melanoma. Six out of seven associated nevi carried the same sequence (mutated or wild-type) as the primary cutaneous melanoma, whereas in one case the sequence for N-ras differed between the primary melanoma and the associated nevus. In conclusion, this approach allowed us to demonstrate the clonal relationship between subsequent growth phases of melanoma and associated nevi; our results suggest that N-ras exon 1 mutations preferentially occur during early stages of tumor progression and hence may be involved in melanoma initiation, whereas those in N-ras exon 2 are found preferentially during later stages and hence are more probably involved in metastatic spread of cutaneous melanoma.
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PMID:Analysis of N- and K-ras mutations in the distinctive tumor progression phases of melanoma. 1188 12

Most cases of gallbladder cancer are found at an advanced stage accompanied by invasion to the liver, metastases to the lymph nodes and distant organs, and peritoneal dissemination. Then, the treatment for advanced gallbladder cancer is often ineffective, and the prognosis of this disease is poor. The specific aim of this study was to establish a model system for developing new therapeutic strategies, such as molecular target therapy, for human advanced gallbladder cancer. We used a human gallbladder cancer cell line, NOZ with K-ras mutation in this experiment. Then, we established a novel orthotopic inoculation model for gallbladder cancer by using NOZ cells in nude mice. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in NOZ cells was constitutively activated, and the activation of MAPK provided autonomous proliferation of NOZ cells. All of the mice orthotopically inoculated by NOZ cells developed tumors at the gallbladder. Direct invasion into the liver, and bloody ascites were observed. Metastases to the mediastinal lymph nodes were also recognized in all of the mice examined. Moreover, most of the mice showed lung metastases. Survival duration was 29-50 days after inoculation. Nude mice with NOZ tumor at gallbladder were treated by an intraperitoneal injection of a MAPK kinase inhibitor U0126 (25 micro mole/kg) twice a week. U0126 (p=0.0110, one-way ANOVA) significantly prolonged the survival duration of the mice with NOZ gallbladder tumor. Our orthotopic inoculation model is useful for developing new therapeutic strategies, such as molecular target therapy for advanced gallbladder cancer.
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PMID:A MEK inhibitor (U0126) prolongs survival in nude mice bearing human gallbladder cancer cells with K-ras mutation: analysis in a novel orthotopic inoculation model. 1296 74

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is known as an aggressive malignant cancer; some of which are directly derived from melanocytic nevi, which have been attracting growing attention from the last decades. This study focused on comprehensive identification, validation, and functional annotations of prognostic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma in genome-wide profiles. DEGs were obtained using three chip datasets from GEO database to identify after standardization annotation. A total of 73 DEGs were identified as possible candidate prognostic biomarkers between melanocytic nevus and malignant melanoma. In addition, survival curves indicated that six hub genes, including FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2, were significant prognostic signatures for CM and of significant value to predict transformation from nevi to melanoma. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry staining was performed to validate differential expression levels and prognostic implications of six hub genes between CM tissue and nevus tissues from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University cohort. It suggested that significantly elevated FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2 proteins expressed in the CM than in the nevus tissues. Functional enrichment and significant pathways of the six significant hub genes indicated that the mostly involved hallmarks include the P53 pathway, K-ras signaling, estrogen response late, and estrogen response early. In summary, this study identified significant DEGs participating in the process of malignant transformation from nevus to melanoma tissues based on comprehensive genomic profiles. Transcription profiles of FABP5, IVL, KRT6A, KRT15, KRT16, and TIMP2 provided clues of prognostic implications, which might help us evaluate malignant potential of nevus and underlying carcinogenesis progress from melanocytic nevus to melanoma.
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PMID:Identification, Validation, and Functional Annotations of Genome-Wide Profile Variation between Melanocytic Nevus and Malignant Melanoma. 3293 56