Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0178874 (tumor progression)
 40,807 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The occurrence and distribution of components of fibrinolysis pathways were determined using immunohistochemical techniques applied to 10 cases of primary carcinoma of the breast, normal breast tissue obtained from two patients undergoing reductive mammoplasty, and three cases of benign breast tumors. Tumor cells stained for urokinase- and tissue-type plasminogen activators, plasminogen activation inhibitor-1, plasminogen, and plasmin-antiplasmin complex neoantigen. The tumor connective tissue stained for fibrinogen and its D fragment plasmin digestion product. By contrast, only occasional nonneoplastic duct epithelial cells stained for urokinase- and tissue-type plasminogen activators and there was little or no staining for the other antigens tested. These results are consistent with the existence of local amplification of expression of enzymatically active plasminogen activators, and particularly of urokinase-type plasminogen activator, in situ in primary breast cancer tissue. These features distinguish malignant from benign breast tissue and may modulate neoplastic progression through an effect on tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and metastatic dissemination.
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PMID:Occurrence of components of fibrinolysis pathways in situ in neoplastic and nonneoplastic human breast tissue. 184 11

The ability of p53 to activate or repress transcription suggests that its biological function as tumor suppressor is in part accomplished by regulating a number of genes including such required for inhibition of cell growth. We here give evidence that p53 also may regulate genes responsible for the proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix, which is considered a crucial feature for local invasion and metastasis of neoplastic cells. An important and highly regulated cascade of such proteolytic events involves the plasminogen activator system. We show that wild-type p53 represses transcription from the enhancer and promoter of the human urokinase-type (u-PA) and the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) gene through a non-DNA binding mechanism. Oncogenic mutants lost the repressing activity. In contrast, wild-type but not mutant p53 specifically binds to and activates the promoter of the plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) gene. Interestingly, one of the p53 mutants (273his) inhibited PAI-1 promoter activity. Our results suggest that altered function of oncogenic forms of p53 may lead to altered expression of the plasminogen activators and their inhibitor(s) and thus to altered activation of the plasminogen/plasmin system during tumor progression.
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PMID:Differential regulation of plasminogen activator and inhibitor gene transcription by the tumor suppressor p53. 747 1

Adhesive interactions between cells and the subendothelial extracellular matrix take place at several stages during tumor progression and metastasis. We have previously demonstrated that thrombin possesses an active yet cryptic Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) site which can be exposed in the presence of low concentrations of plasmin and cell-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan. Thus, thrombin may act as a matrix-adhesive molecule via activation of the alpha v beta 3 integrin. We have now identified a 31 amino acid fragment as the minimal thrombin-generated cleavage product, which contains an active RGD site, following gel filtration analysis on FPLC Superdex 75 column. The role of membrane-associated heparan sulfate in thrombin conversion to an adhesive protein was demonstrated by using CHO cell mutants defective in various aspects of glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Incubation of both thrombin and a low concentration of plasmin on the surface of wild type CHO cells resulted in a typical digestion cleavage profile upon gel filtration. No cleavage products were observed when thrombin and a suboptimal plasmin concentration were incubated on monolayers of CHO cell mutants lacking heparan sulfate. Next, we examined the possible role of the thrombin RGD site during the progression of tumor development and metastasis. Toward this, we tested murine melanoma cells expressing low (B16-F1 cells) and high (B16-BL6 cells) lung colonization potentials in cell adhesion assays in vitro. Differential adherence capability of the cells was observed: while high attachment levels of B16-BL6 cells were obtained, the low metastatic B16-F1 cells did not adhere to thrombin RGD. Antibodies raised against the RGD site in thrombin specifically recognized thrombin digested with plasmin, but were unable to interact with native thrombin or prothrombin and inhibited potently B16-BL6 melanoma cell adhesion. Furthermore, the antibodies failed to recognize RGD in other adhesive plasma proteins such as vitronectin, fibrinogen, or fibronectin. Provided that the RGD-containing fragments of thrombin are widely distributed throughout the vascular system, they may have a significant role during tumor progression and dislodgement of metastatic cells. The development of RGD mimetics and/or specific antibodies might thus be applied to inhibit a critical step in metastatic spread.
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PMID:The involvement of thrombin RGD in metastasis: characterization of a cryptic adhesive site. 774

In order to invade and spread cancer cells must degrade extracellular matrix proteins. This degradation is catalysed by the concerted action of several enzymes, including the serine protease plasmin. Several experimental studies have shown that inhibition of plasmin formation reduces cancer cell invasion and metastasis, indicating a critical role of this proteolytic pathway in these processes. In order to further study the role of plasmin in cancer progression, we have characterized urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) mediated plasmin formation in three human breast cancer cell lines. Using monoclonal antibodies against uPA and its receptor uPAR, we have investigated the contribution of uPA and uPAR to invasive capacity in an in vitro invasion assay. MDA-MB-231 BAG cells were found to express high protein levels of uPA, uPAR and PAI-1. MDA-MB 435 BAG cells produced low amounts of uPA, PAI-1 and moderate amounts of uPAR, whereas MCF-7 BAG cells showed low levels of uPA, uPAR and PAI-1 protein. In a plasmin generation assay MDA-MB-231 BAG cells were highly active in mediating plasmin formation, which could be abolished by adding either an anticatalytic monoclonal antibody to uPA (clone 5) or an anti-uPAR monoclonal antibody (clone R3), which blocks binding of uPA to uPAR. The two other cell lines lacked the capacity to mediate plasmin formation. In the Matrigel invasion assay the cells showed activity in this order: MCF-7 BAG < MDA-MB-435 BAG < MDA-MB-231 BAG. Testing MDA-MB-231 BAG cells in the Matrigel invasion assay revealed that invasion could be inhibited in a dose-dependent manner either by the clone 5 uPA antibody or by the clone R3 uPAR antibody, suggesting that the cell surface uPA system is actively involved in this invasive process. It is concluded that these three cell lines constitute a valuable model system for in vitro studies of the role of cell surface uPA in cancer cell invasion and has application in the search for novel compounds which inhibit mechanisms involved in uPA-mediated plasmin generation on cancer cells.
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PMID:Urokinase-type plasminogen activation in three human breast cancer cell lines correlates with their in vitro invasiveness. 867 84

Several classes of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading proteases have been shown to play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Among them, the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the plasminogen activator (PA)-plasmin system have been the focus of numerous studies. However, few of those have examined the interaction of these two classes of proteases during tumor progression and their specific roles in this complex process have remained unclear. In this article, comparative information on the structure, function, and regulation of these two classes of proteases is reviewed and their interaction on various levels is discussed. This review shows that MMPs and the PA-plasmin system closely cooperate to achieve optimal degradation of the ECM during the invasive and metastatic process.
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PMID:Cooperation between matrix metalloproteinases and the plasminogen activator-plasmin system in tumor progression. 879 98

Extravasation and intravasation of solid malignant tumors is controlled by attachment of tumor cells to components of the basement membrane and the extracellular matrix, by local proteolysis and tumor cell migration. Strong clinical and experimental evidence has accumulated that the tumor-associated serine protease plasmin, its activator uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), the receptor uPA-R (CD87), and the inhibitors PAI-1 and PAI-2 are linked to cancer invasion and metastasis. In cancer, increase of uPA, uPA-R, and/or PAI-1 is associated with tumor progression and with shortened disease-free and/or overall survival in patients afflicted with malignant solid tumors. uPA and/or its inhibitor PAI-1 appear to be one of the strongest prognostic markers so far described. Strong prognostic value to predict disease recurrence and overall survival has been documented for patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, cervix, endometrium, stomach, colon, lung, bladder, kidney, brain, and soft-tissue. Due to the strong correlation between elevated uPA and/or PAI-1 values in primary cancer tissues and the tumor invasion/ metastasis capacity of cancer cells, proteolytic factors have been selected as targets for therapy. Various very different approaches to interfere with the expression or reactivity of uPA or CD87 at the gene or protein level were successfully tested including antisense oligonucleotides, antibodies, enzyme inhibitors, and recombinant or synthetic uPA and uPA-R analogues.
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PMID:Clinical impact of the plasminogen activation system in tumor invasion and metastasis: prognostic relevance and target for therapy. 919 68

Membrane vesicles are shed by tumor cells both in vivo and in vitro. Although their functions are not well understood, it has been proposed that they may play multiple roles in tumor progression. We characterized membrane vesicles from human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cell cultures for the presence of proteinases involved in tumor invasion. By gelatin zymography and Western blotting, these vesicles showed major bands corresponding to the zymogen and active forms of gelatinase B (MMP-9) and gelatinase A (MMP-2) and to the MMP-9. tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 complex. Both gelatinases appeared to be associated with the vesicle membrane. HT1080 cell vesicles also showed a strong, plasminogen-dependent fibrinolytic activity in 125I fibrin assays; this activity was associated with urokinase plasminogen activator, as shown by casein zymography and Western blotting. Urokinase was bound to its high affinity receptor on the vesicle membrane. Addition of plasminogen resulted in activation of the progelatinases associated with the vesicles, indicating a role of the urokinase-plasmin system in MMP-2 and MMP-9 activation. We propose that vesicles shed by tumor cells may provide a large membrane surface for the activation of membrane-associated proteinases involved in extracellular matrix degradation and tissue invasion.
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PMID:Urokinase plasminogen activator and gelatinases are associated with membrane vesicles shed by human HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. 920 45

Our understanding of the role of matrix degrading proteases in cancer has dramatically expanded over the last two decades. From correlative observations linking proteases to cancer progression, we have accumulated evidence supporting a causal role for proteases in various steps of tumor progression and have become increasingly aware of the complex interactions that exist among proteases. Specific natural inhibitors of these proteases have also been identified and their role as potent cytostatic agents in cancer has been suggested. In this article some of the concepts on the role of proteases in cancer are discussed and examples of cooperation between matrix metalloproteinases and the plasmin/plasminogen activators system are presented. The role of protease inhibitors such as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI-2) as inhibitors of tumor growth, invasion and metastasis is discussed.
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PMID:Proteases and protease inhibitors in tumor progression. 943 92

A randomized study was carried out of the efficacy of a new procedure of adjuvant immunotherapy for cancer of corpus uteri in conjunction with anticoagulant treatment. Ninety-seven patients (76-stage I-II and 21-stage III-IV) were inoculated tularemia booster (TB) and received fibrinolysin, pelentan and aspirin 15-20 days before combined treatment including uterine extirpation or extirpation with adnexa followed by telegammatherapy. Two groups of identical numbers of patients with an identical distribution of tumor progression stage were used as controls. No vaccination was carried out in one of them while TB inoculation was performed without anticoagulants in the other. A higher effectiveness of immunostimulation accompanied by anticoagulant administration was registered on the basis of the short-term (wound healing) and end results (relapse and metastasis frequency, duration of relapse-free survival and 2-, 3- and 5-year survival).
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PMID:[Adjuvant immunotherapy for patients with cancer of corpus uteri]. 947 60

To investigate the role of plasmin(ogen) in mammary tumor development and progression, plasminogen-deficient mice were crossed with transgenic mice expressing Polyoma middle T antigen under the control of the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat. Virgin females carrying the Polyoma middle T antigen uniformly developed multiple, bilateral mammary tumors, regardless of the presence or absence of circulating plasminogen. Both the age at which these tumors became palpable and subsequent tumor growth were indistinguishable between plasminogen-deficient mice and plasminogen-expressing littermates. However, plasminogen was found to greatly modify the metastatic potential in this model system; lung metastasis in plasminogen-deficient mice was significantly reduced as compared to littermate controls with respect to frequency of occurrence, total number of metastases, and total metastatic tumor burden. Plasminogen activators, as well as other key factors that govern the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, were expressed within the mammary tumors, suggesting that the plasminogen/plasmin system may promote metastasis by contributing to tumor-associated extracellular proteolysis. The data provide direct evidence that plasmin(ogen) is a tumor progression factor in PymT-induced mammary cancer, and support the hypothesis that hemostatic factors play an important role in tumor biology.
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PMID:Reduced metastasis of Polyoma virus middle T antigen-induced mammary cancer in plasminogen-deficient mice. 967 88


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