Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0598934 (tumor growth)
58,965 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The prerequisite for a curative resection of metastases is their restriction to the key organs, the liver and lungs, in the sense of a limited dissemination. For long-term prognosis, the type of primary tumor as well as the radical resection of lung and liver metastases is essential. To improve the process of surgical indication and therapy of tumors, clear definitions for the terms "tumor recurrence" and "metastases" have been agreed upon. Research and clinical investigation have led to a better understanding of tumor-regulating factors, some of which are briefly described: Metastasis promoting factors include the lack of E-cadherin, which leads to a local penetration of basal membranes by tumor cells; CD44 seems to play an important role in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, apparently increasing the metastatic potential of tumors and reducing the long-term survival of patients. High levels of urokinase in primary tumors are also associated with a poorer prognosis, as well as plasminogen inactivator inhibitor PAI II, which plays a crucial role in tumor growth. Positive findings in bone marrow aspirates of patients with different malignancies, stained for cytokeratin 18, either are associated with higher recurrence rates in colon and breast cancer or can be correlated to the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Technical aspects of surgery for hepatic, pulmonary and skeletal metastases are presented and discussed with respect to curative and palliative indications.
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PMID:Surgical treatment of tumor metastases: general considerations and results. 753 64

Aberrant glycosylation expressed in glycosphingolipids and glycoproteins in tumor cells has been implicated as an essential mechanism in defining stage, direction, and fate of tumor progression. This general concept is supported by results from three lines of study: (a) Numerous clinicopathological studies have shown a clear correlation between aberrant glycosylation status of primary tumor and invasive/metastatic potential of human cancer as reflected by 5- or 10-year survival rates of patients. (b) Carbohydrates expressed in tumor cells are either adhesion molecules per se or modulate adhesion receptor function. Some are directly involved in cell adhesion. They are recognized by selectins or other carbohydrate-binding proteins or by complementary carbohydrates (through carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction). N- or O-glycosylation of functionally important membrane components may alter tumor cell adhesion or motility in a direction that either promotes or inhibits invasion and metastasis. Examples of such receptors are E-cadherin, integrins, immunoglobulin family receptors (e.g., CD44), and lysosome-associated membrane protein. (c) Gangliosides and sphingolipids modulate transmembrane signaling essential for tumor cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. The transducer molecules susceptible to gangliosides and sphingolipids include integrin receptors, tyrosine kinase-linked growth factor receptors, protein kinase C, and G-protein-linked receptor affecting protein kinase A. Some glycosphingolipids (e.g., Gb3Cer, Le(y), ceramide, and sphingosine induce tumor cell differentiation and subsequent apoptosis. Shedded gangliosides may block immunogenicity of tumor cells, providing conditions favorable for "escape" from immunological suppression of tumor growth by the host. Various reagents that block carbohydrate-mediated tumor cell adhesion or block glycosylation processing have been shown to inhibit tumor cell metastasis. This provides the basis for further development of "anti-adhesion therapy." Ganglioside analogues and sphingolipid analogues that inhibit protein kinase C and receptor-associated tyrosine kinase have been applied for inhibition of metastasis. A crucial mechanism for inhibition of metastasis by these reagents may involve blocking of transmembrane signaling for expression of P- and E-selectin. This provides the basis for development of "ortho-signaling therapy."
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PMID:Tumor malignancy defined by aberrant glycosylation and sphingo(glyco)lipid metabolism. 896 75

E-Cadherin has been shown to be an invasion tumor suppressor gene, but few epidemiological studies have revealed relationships between loss of E-cadherin expression and invasive tumor growth and/or metastasis. The adhesive function of E-cadherin is dependent on the integrity of the catenin components which link E-cadherin to the actin filaments. In order to achieve a better correlation between the loss of cell adhesion and metastasis in cancer, we decided to investigate both E-cadherin and the catenins. 157 archival primary mammary carcinomas were immunohistochemically studied using antibodies against E-cadherin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin. The following results were obtained: (a) Independent of the presence of E-cadherin, loss of expression of one or multiple catenins was noted; (b) loss of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression was more pronounced in lobular-type than ductal-type carcinomas; c) axillary lymph node metastases were completely lacking only in the group where expression of E-cadherin, alpha- and beta- catenin was preserved: d) no correlation between expression of c-erbB-2 and E-cadherin or one of the catenins was found. The results demonstrate for the first time that consideration of both the expression of E-cadherin and of the three catenins is useful in evaluation of the metastatic potential of mammary carcinomas.
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PMID:Expression of E-cadherin and catenins in invasive mammary carcinomas. 906 80

Progesterone is an important regulator of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. In addition to stimulating development of normal mammary epithelium, it can be used to treat hormone-dependent breast tumors. However, the mechanism of growth inhibition by progestins is poorly understood, and only a limited number of progesterone target genes are known so far. We therefore decided to clone such target genes by means of differential display polymerase chain reaction. In this paper, we describe an improved differential display strategy that eliminates false positives, along with the identification of nine positive (TSC-22, CD-9, Na+/K+-ATPase alpha1, desmoplakin, CD-59, FKBP51, and three unknown genes) and one negative progesterone target genes (annexin-VI) from the mammary carcinoma cell line T47D, which is growth-inhibited by progestins. None of these genes have been reported before to be progesterone targets. Regulation of desmoplakin, CD-9, CD-59, Na+/K+-ATPase alpha1, and annexin-VI by the progestin suggests that progesterone induces T47D cells to differentiate. Three of these genes were repressed by estradiol and up-regulated by the progestin. Estradiol treatment of T47D cells also leads to formation of lamellipodia and delocalization of two cell adhesion proteins, E-cadherin and alpha-catenin. All these effects were reversed by the progestin. These data suggest that estradiol dedifferentiates T47D cells, while progestins have the opposite effect. This may be linked to the capacity of progestins to inhibit tumor growth.
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PMID:Novel progesterone target genes identified by an improved differential display technique suggest that progestin-induced growth inhibition of breast cancer cells coincides with enhancement of differentiation. 919 78

MCAM/MUC18 is a cell-surface glycoprotein of 113 kDa, originally identified as a melanoma antigen, whose expression is associated with tumor progression and the development of metastatic potential. We have previously shown that enforced expression of MCAM/MUC18 in primary cutaneous melanoma led to increased tumor growth and metastatic potential in nude mice. The mechanism for up-regulation of MCAM/MUC18 during melanoma progression is unknown. Here we show that up-regulation of MCAM/MUC18 expression in highly metastatic cells correlates with loss of expression of the transcription factor AP-2. The MCAM/MUC18 promoter contains four binding sites for AP-2, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay gels demonstrated that the AP-2 protein bound directly to the MCAM/MUC18 promoter. Transfection of AP-2 into highly metastatic A375SM melanoma cells (AP-2-negative and MCAM/MUC18-positive) inhibited MCAM/MUC18 promoter-driven chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene in a dose-dependent manner. MCAM/MUC18 mRNA and protein expression were down-regulated in AP-2-transfected but not in control cells. In addition, re-expression of AP-2 in A375SM cells inhibited their tumorigenicity and metastatic potential in nude mice. These results indicate that the expression of MCAM/MUC18 is regulated by AP-2 and that enforced AP-2 expression suppresses tumorigenicity and metastatic potential of human melanoma cells, possibly by down-regulating MCAM/MUC18 gene expression. Since AP-2 also regulates other genes that are involved in the progression of human melanoma such as c-KIT, E-cadherin, MMP-2, and p21(WAF-1), we propose that loss of AP-2 is a crucial event in the development of malignant melanoma.
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PMID:Loss of AP-2 results in up-regulation of MCAM/MUC18 and an increase in tumor growth and metastasis of human melanoma cells. 963 18

Loss of expression and function of the E-cadherin/catenin membrane complex can result in loss of cell adhesion and contribute to invasive or metastatic potential in carcinomas. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of alpha- and beta-catenin and E-cadherin in Barrett's esophagus with and without dysplasia and in esophageal adenocarcinomas and to identify any relationship with tumor growth pattern and clinical outcome. Immunoperoxidase staining for alpha- and beta-catenin and E-cadherin was performed on specimens of Barrett's esophagus with and without dysplasia and on 54 esophageal adenocarcinoma specimens. Membranous staining for all of the components was seen in normal gastric and esophageal mucosa. Abnormal expression of beta-catenin, alpha-catenin, and E-cadherin was significantly associated with higher degrees of dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus. Fourteen of 16 cases of high grade dysplasia and 7 of 7 cases of intramucosal carcinoma showed abnormal expression of beta-catenin, compared with 3 of 6 cases indefinite for dysplasia and 11 of 17 cases with low grade dysplasia (P = 0.022). Similar results were seen for expression of alpha-catenin (P < .01) and E-cadherin (P = .049). In esophageal adenocarcinomas, preserved expression of these proteins occurred more frequently in well-differentiated tumors; abnormal expression was more common in diffusely infiltrative poorly differentiated tumors that did not form glands. Focal nuclear staining for beta-catenin was present in two high-grade dysplasias, two intramucosal carcinomas, and five adenocarcinomas. No survival advantage was demonstrated for patients whose tumors retained expression of these cell adhesion components. In conclusion, abnormal expression of the E-cadherin/catenin membrane complex is common in esophageal adenocarcinoma and occurs early in the dysplasia/carcinoma sequence in Barrett's esophagus, indicating that disturbances in this cell adhesion complex might be important in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in this disorder.
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PMID:Expression of beta-catenin, alpha-catenin, and E-cadherin in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinomas. 975 59

HER2 is a ligand-less member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor or ErbB family of tyrosine kinases. In normal biological systems, HER2 functions as a co-receptor for a multitude of epidermal growth factor-like ligands that bind and activate other HER family members. HER2 overexpression is observed in a number of human adenocarcinomas and results in constitutive HER2 activation. Specific targeting of these tumors can be accomplished with antibodies directed against the extracellular domain of the HER2 protein. One of these antibodies, 4D5, has been fully humanized and is termed trastuzumab (Herceptin; Genentech, San Francisco, CA). Treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cell lines with trastuzumab results in induction of p27KIP1 and the Rb-related protein, p130, which in turn significantly reduces the number of cells undergoing S-phase. A number of other phenotypic changes are observed in vitro as a consequence of trastuzumab binding to HER2-overexpressing cells. These phenotypic changes include downmodulation of the HER2 receptor, inhibition of tumor cell growth, reversed cytokine resistance, restored E-cadherin expression levels, and reduced vascular endothelial growth factor production. Interaction of trastuzumab with the human immune system via its human immunoglobulin G1 Fc domain may potentiate its antitumor activities. In vitro studies demonstrate that trastuzumab is very effective in mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against HER2-overexpressing tumor targets. Trastuzumab treatment of mouse xenograft models results in marked suppression of tumor growth. When given in combination with standard cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, trastuzumab treatment generally results in statistically superior antitumor efficacy compared with either agent given alone. Taken together, these studies suggest that the mechanism of action of trastuzumab includes antagonizing the constitutive growth-signaling properties of the HER2 system, enlisting immune cells to attack and kill the tumor target, and augmenting chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity.
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PMID:Nonclinical studies addressing the mechanism of action of trastuzumab (Herceptin). 1048 95

Various mechanisms of epithelial cell plasticity in morphogenesis have been studied at the genetic and molecular levels. Several control genes have been identified including genes encoding transcription factors and growth factor receptors. These mechanisms may be reactivated during the progression of carcinomas. One of the mechanisms underlying epithelial plasticity is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This process has been extensively studied using the NBT-II bladder carcinoma cell line. Cells of this line undergo a reversible transition following exposure to several growth factors including FGF-1, EGF, TGFalpha and SF/HGF, which activate tyrosine kinase surface receptors. Two separate transduction pathways have been identified. The transient activation of c-Src is involved in cytoskeleton remodeling whereas the Ras pathway controls the transcription of genes such as the transcription factor Slug which is involved in the internalization of desmosomes. These two pathways cooperate to induce the morphological transition, scattering and locomotion of fibroblast-like cells. Growth/scatter factor-producing NBT-II cells are more invasive than cells that do not contain this factor, in orthotopic confrontation assay. In vivo, these cells are very tumorigenic and may confer a more malignant phenotype on parental cells via a community effect. The role of several growth factors and their receptors has been investigated in human bladder carcinomas. A subset of these tumors with poor outcomes produce low levels of FGFR2-IIIb. The synthesis of this receptor de novo in bladder cell lines reduces proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in nude mice. FGFR2-IIIb functions as a tumor suppressor, consistent with the differentiation-inducing capacities of FGF receptors in the suprabasal cells of the skin. FGFR2-IIIb signaling may be involved in the maintenance of E-cadherin, the prototype epithelial adhesion molecule, which is only downregulated in a fraction of tumors with low FGFR2-IIIb synthesis. Human bladder tumors may also activate autocrine loops such as that for EGFR and their ligands, as already demonstrated for murine bladder tumors. Therefore, our results suggest that multifunctional growth factors and their receptors are involved in cell proliferation and epithelial cell plasticity, acting either as positive or negative regulators of tumor progression. The effect on the morphological transition is also clearly relevant to the mechanism governing dissemination and the formation of micrometastatic tumor cells. The extrapolation of these discoveries to human carcinomas should provide markers facilitating the more accurate prediction of the biological behavior of a given tumor and identify clinically and pathologically significant parameters. The identification of critical changes in the growth factor pathways involved in tumor progression will not only provide insight into the genetic and molecular basis of this process, but should also identify targets for new therapies.
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PMID:Epithelial cell plasticity in development and tumor progression. 1050 44

Annexin I is an intracellular protein in search of a function. Ex vivo it has calcium- and phospholipid-binding properties. To evaluate its role in vivo, MCF-7 cells were stably transfected with annexin I in sense or antisense orientations. In cells overexpressing annexin I, calcium release was abrogated on stimulation of purinergic or bradykinin receptors, whereas non-transfected cells or cells with down-regulated annexin I released calcium within seconds. Basal calcium and calcium stores were not affected. The impaired calcium release was paralleled by a down-regulation of the activities of phospholipase C, group II phospholipase A2, and E-cadherin with altered adhesion and enhanced tumor growth on soft agar. Significantly smaller tumors, with the histologically most differentiated cells, were observed in nude mice inoculated with cells transfected with the antisense rather than with the sense plasmid. These observations indicate that annexin I modulates cell functions by controlling intracellular calcium release. Frey, B. M., Reber, B. F. X., Vishwanath, B. S., Escher, G., Frey, F. J. Annexin I modulates cell functions by controlling intracellular calcium release.
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PMID:Annexin I modulates cell functions by controlling intracellular calcium release. 1059 71

Expression of large numbers of different costimulatory integrin ligands (CILs) attributes dendritic cells with an ability to induce primary anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we show that optimized gene transfer of the xenogeneic (human) CILs VCAM-1, MAdCAM-1 and ICAM-1 causes rapid and complete rejection of established mouse EL-4 tumors, and generates prolonged systemic anti-tumor immunity; whereas human E-cadherin weakly slows tumor growth. In each case the immune response was mediated by CD8+ T cells and NK cells, accompanied by augmented tumor-specific cytolytic T cell (CTL) activity involving both the perforin and Fas-ligand pathways. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from cured mice rapidly cleared established tumors in recipients. The mechanism for CIL-mediated immunity is unknown, but may involve CTL-facilitated tumor lysis, since CTLs were generally twice as efficient at killing CIL-transfected tumor cells than parental tumor cells. Optimized CIL-based gene therapy may provide an approach to complement or replace conventional DC adoptive cell therapy for suppressing tumor growth.
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PMID:Taking lessons from dendritic cells: multiple xenogeneic ligands for leukocyte integrins have the potential to stimulate anti-tumor immunity. 1060 74


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