Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C1519176 (PSA)
 5,490 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Proteolytic systems are involved via multiple mechanisms in the regulation of gene expression, including tightly controlled metabolism of transcription factors. In this study, we demonstrate that differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma cells to parietal endoderm-like cells is accompanied by the appearance of nuclear protease activity. Interestingly, this nuclear-associated protease activity is not observed in the visceral endoderm-like cell line, PSA-5E, or in the differentiated cells derived from both mouse embryonic stem cells and the human embryonal carcinoma cell line NT2/D1. We also determined that this differentiation-associated nuclear protease activity causes proteolysis of a wide range of different transcription factors, including ATF-1, Sp1, NF-YA and B, and octamer-binding proteins Oct-1 and Oct-3. Based on the effects of specific inhibitors, the nuclear protease(s) can be classified as a cysteine protease; however, lack of inhibition by calpastatin and EGTA distinguishes this protease activity from the calpain family of proteases. Given the properties of the differentiation-associated nuclear protease(s), we discuss the possibility that this protease(s) plays a role in the metabolism of transcription factors during the differentiation of specific embryonic cells.
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PMID:Appearance of nuclear protease activity after embryonal carcinoma cells undergo differentiation. 860 2

At the present time, there is no reliable laboratory marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), while about 20% of small tumours detected by modern imaging techniques are benign and the clinical course is difficult to predict with considerable differences for the same stage and same grade. The molecular identification of clear cell RCC cells could satisfy these new requirements in the context of diagnosis of atypical or small renal tumours, allowing a more refined prognostic assessment, which is currently uncertain. Some of the antigens used for molecular diagnosis of clear cell RCC, such as cadherin-6, are present in the normal kidney, while others are newly formed antigens (TuM2PK, MN/CA9, CA12, calpain) or ectopic (PSMA, PSA, KLKI, cytokeratin 7 vimentin) or induce abnormal glycosylation (sialyl Lewis'X, galectins) indicating the malignant nature of the cells. The tumour's capacity for progression is related to dysregulations of the cycle (ras, Pax2, Tiam 1, waf/p21), division (tetracyclines, MIB1, PCNA, Nor Ag), apoptosis (bcl2, p53, CD95/Apo1), and the capacities for tissue invasion (proteases), disorganization (cadherin, catenins) or nidation (ICAM-1, CD44). Finally, chromosomal anomalies (mutations, translocations) also occur. MN/CA9, cadherin-6, vimentin, mucin 1 and DNA content are particularly useful for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of clear cell RCC. These markers can be analysed by extremely sensitive cytometric (flow cytometry, plate cytometry) or molecular methods (RT-PCR, in situ hybridization). These techniques lower the limit of detection of tumour cells in biological products (aspiration cytology, microbiopsy) and eventually in circulating blood. Proteomic and genomic methods (biochips) should considerably accelerate research in this field leading to the development of routine clinical applications.
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PMID:[Molecular and cytometric analysis of renal cell carcinoma cells. Concepts, techniques and prospects]. 1270 48