Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:A9QXG9 (bcl-2)
 7,497 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

PC cell-derived growth factor, also known as progranulin, is an M(r) 88,000 growth factor (referred as PCDGF/GP88) overexpressed in human breast cancer. Antisense inhibition of PCDGF/GP88 expression in MDA-MB-468 cells inhibited tumor formation in nude mice. In estrogen receptor-positive cells, PCDGF/GP88 was expressed in response to estradiol and shown to mediate its mitogenic effect. Pathologic studies indicated that PCDGF/GP88 was expressed in 80% of invasive ductal carcinomas in correlation with parameters of poor prognosis. In the present article, the relationship between PCDGF/GP88 expression and tamoxifen resistance was examined in MCF-7 cells. PCDGF/GP88 overexpression rendered MCF-7 cells able to proliferate in the absence of estrogen and in the presence of tamoxifen. The PCDGF/GP88-overexpressing cells formed tumors in ovariectomized nude mice in the absence of estradiol and in its presence, in contrast to MCF-7 cells. Tumor growth of the overexpressing cells was increased significantly when the mice were treated with tamoxifen. PCDGF/GP88 blocked tamoxifen-induced apoptosis by preventing down-regulation of bcl-2 expression and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. In addition, PCDGF/GP88-overexpressing cells presented higher level of the angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin-1 than MCF-7 control cells. Tamoxifen treatment additionally increased the level of vascular endothelial growth factor. These studies suggest that PCDGF/GP88 plays a critical role in breast cancer tumorigenesis and in the transition to estrogen independence and tamoxifen resistance, a hallmark of poor prognosis. On the basis of the in vivo studies, it is postulated that tamoxifen treatment of patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors overexpressing PCDGF/GP88 could have adverse clinical consequences.
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PMID:PC cell-derived growth factor mediates tamoxifen resistance and promotes tumor growth of human breast cancer cells. 1499 34

The recent observation that studies of BRCA1-associated tumors contain a high proportion of medullary carcinomas and ductal carcinomas with medullary features has re-introduced pathologists to an old diagnostic problem. The term "medullary carcinoma" dates to the 19th century, but the modern entity was introduced in 1949 by Moore and Foote, who described a carcinoma with a lymphoid infiltrate, a favorable prognosis, and low frequency of metastasis. Almost three decades later, Ridolfi et al proposed specific criteria for diagnosis, resulting in an entity with an even more favorable prognosis and a lower incidence. The reproducibility and clinical relevance of the diagnosis have been questioned recently, and new criteria have been proposed and compared. The tumors typically express cytokeratin 7, often vimentin and S100-protein, but not cytokeratin 20. The usual ones are positive for p53 and negative for estrogen receptor, Her2/neu, and bcl-2. Medullary carcinomas express e-cadherin and beta-catenin more often than ordinary high-grade ductal carcinomas, and the former have genetic differences from the latter. The lymphoid infiltrate of medullary carcinomas is related to beta-actin fragments exposed by apoptotic cells. The present review discusses historical and recent developments and emphasizes diagnostic criteria.
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PMID:Medullary carcinoma, provocative now as then. 1507 61

A case of mucinous cystadenoma of the testis in a 55-year-old man is reported. The tumor was confined to the testis and was clearly separated from the epididymis. There was no connection between the tumor cyst and the rete testis. The lumen of the cyst was lined with a single-layer of columnar cells interspersed with goblet cells. There was neither stromal invasion nor metastasis to other organs and there were no ovarian or germ cell neoplastic elements in the tumor. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that MUC2, MUC5AC, carcinoembryonic antigen, CA19-9, CK7 and CK20 proteins were expressed on the tumor epithelial cells, whereas expression of MUC6, alpha-fetoprotein, CA125, human chorionic gonadotrophin, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, calretinin, chromogranin A, p53, cyclin D1 and bcl-2 proteins was absent. Ki-67 protein was weakly and sparsely expressed in the nuclei of epithelial cells. The mucinous cystadenoma in the present case, which was devoid of a connection to testicular appendices and had the immunohistochemical characteristics of gastrointestinal mucosa, might have originated from one-sided differentiation of teratoma cells.
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PMID:Immunohistochemical examination of mucinous cystadenoma of the testis. 1508 41

Perivascular epithelioid cells (PEC) in angiomyolipoma (AML) were recently proposed to be its most common progenitor cells. Histologically, triphasic components were present in various proportions, but were overwhelmingly myogenic in epithelioid variants of AML. Despite histological discrimination, the immunophenotypic profiles between triphasic and epithelioid AML have never been compared. The aim of the present study was to clarify the identity of PEC by using immunoreactivity to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), bcl-2 and placenta alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), and to use this information to compare triphasic and epithelioid AML. A total of 33 out of 67 cases of renal angiomyolipoma that underwent surgery were reviewed over the period 1998-2003. Two cases were associated with tuberous sclerosis. Ten patients had other malignant tumors, and three patients had a nodal extension. Immunohistochemistry showed that bcl-2 (59.4%), PLAP (46.9%), HMB-45 (100%) was predominantly localized around vessels. The stem cell markers were absolutely negative in all AML types. The estrogen receptors were positive in 14 cases (42.4%) and the progesterone receptors were positive in five cases. Bcl-2 and both female sex hormone receptors were significantly more frequent in the epithelioid variant of AML than in the triphasic type. Perivascular epithelioid cells express bcl-2, ER, PR and PLAP, and ER could be partly associated with myogenic proliferation.
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PMID:Estrogen receptor is significantly associated with the epithelioid variants of renal angiomyolipoma: a clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of 67 cases. 1518 5

Smad3 is an important mediator of the TGF beta signaling pathway. Interestingly, Smad3-deficient (Smad3-/-) mice have reduced fertility compared with wild-type (WT) mice. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the reduced fertility in Smad3-/- animals, this work tested the hypothesis that Smad3 deficiency interferes with three critical aspects of folliculogenesis: growth, atresia, and differentiation. Growth was assessed by comparing the size of follicles, expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and expression of cell cycle genes in Smad3-/- and WT mice. Atresia was assessed by comparing the incidence of atresia and expression of bcl-2 genes involved in cell death and cell survival in Smad3-/- and WT mice. Differentiation was assessed by comparing the expression of FSH receptor (FSHR), estrogen receptor (ER) alpha, ER beta, and inhibin alpha-, beta(A)-, and beta(B)-subunits in Smad3-/- and WT mice. Because growth, atresia, and differentiation are regulated by hormones, estradiol, FSH, and LH levels were compared in Smad3-/- and WT mice. Moreover, because alterations in folliculogenesis can affect the ability of mice to ovulate, the number of corpora lutea and ovulated eggs in response to gonadotropin treatments were compared in Smad3-/- and WT animals. The results indicate that Smad3 deficiency slows follicle growth, which is characterized by small follicle diameters, low levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and low expression of cell cycle genes (cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and cyclin D2). Smad3 deficiency also causes atretic follicles, degenerated oocytes, and low expression of bcl-2. Furthermore, Smad3 deficiency affects follicular differentiation as evidenced by decreased expression of ER beta, increased expression of ER alpha, and decreased expression of inhibin alpha-subunits. Smad3 deficiency causes low estradiol and high FSH levels. Finally, Smad3-/- ovaries have no corpora lutea, and they do not ovulate after ovulatory induction with exogenous gonadotropins. Collectively, these data provide the first evidence that reduced fertility in Smad3-/- mice is due to impaired folliculogenesis, associated with altered expression of genes that control cell cycle progression, cell survival, and cell differentiation. The findings that Smad3-/- follicles have impaired growth, increased atresia, and altered differentiation in the presence of high FSH levels, normal expression of FSHR, and lower expression of cyclin D2, suggest a possible interaction between Smad3 and FSH signaling downstream of FSHR in the mouse ovary.
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PMID:Ovarian follicle development requires Smad3. 1519 76

The biologic properties of adenomyosis and the effects of therapeutic agents on adenomyosis were evaluated with immunohistochemistry, terminal deoxy-nucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method, transmission electron microscopy, and analysis of genomic abnormality. In the adenomyotic endometrium, estrogen receptor (ER) expression was more intense than in the eutopic endometrium during the secretory phase, and bcl-2 was constantly expressed throughout the menstrual cycle. The expression of ER and bcl-2 was weaker in the adenomyotic endometrium treated with danazol than in that treated with gonadotro-pin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa), whereas bcl-2 phosphorylated on serine-87 was more intensely expressed in danazol-treated adenomyotic endometrium than in the GnRHa-treated one. The number of TUNEL-positive cells increased in the adenomyotic endometrium treated with danazol or GnRHa. Ultrastructurally, most of the adenomyotic endometrial cells treated with danazol underwent postapoptotic necrosis and formed a cluster of dead cells. In contrast, cells treated with GnRHa underwent typical apoptosis and were sparsely distributed in the adenomyotic endometrium. Analysis of several cancer-related genes showed no microsatellite instability or loss of heterozygosity in adenomyotic tissues. Therefore, we conclude that the occurrence of adenomyosis is correlated to bcl-2 expression regulated by estrogen and ER rather than genetic mutation.
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PMID:Expression of apoptosis-related proteins in adenomyotic uteri treated with danazol and GnRH agonists. 1521 1

Endometrial stromal sarcomas are low-grade malignant tumors that may pose a diagnostic challenge, especially when they are present in an extrauterine site. Owing to the presence of an arborizing vasculature and cells with an undifferentiated appearance, endometrial stromal sarcomas can be confused with several soft-tissue neoplasms. We studied 17 endometrial stromal sarcomas, eight hemangiopericytomas, 14 solitary fibrous tumors, and 16 synovial sarcomas immunohistochemically, detecting the following antigens: CD10, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, bcl-2, CD34, smooth muscle antigen, epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin (AE1/AE3). Most endometrial stromal sarcomas stained positively for CD10 (16/17), estrogen receptor (17/17), progesterone receptor (15/17), and bcl-2 (17/17). Staining with antismooth muscle antigen was seen in 11 of 17 cases of endometrial stromal sarcoma, with more intense staining seen in areas showing smooth muscle differentiation. Staining with AE1/3 was seen in four of 17 endometrial stromal sarcomas, with two of the positive cases containing epithelioid cells. None of the endometrial stromal sarcomas expressed epithelial membrane antigen or CD34. More than half of the hemangiopericytomas (4/8) and solitary fibrous tumors (9/14) cases demonstrated CD10 expression either focally or in a patchy cytoplasmic and membranous pattern. Hemangiopericytomas, solitary fibrous tumors, and synovial sarcomas did not express estrogen receptor. Four of eight hemangiopericytomas and seven of 14 solitary fibrous tumors also showed patchy progesterone receptor expression. CD34 expression was identified in six of eight hemangiopericytomas and 13 of 14 solitary fibrous tumors, but we did not find expression of CD34 in synovial sarcoma. Differences between endometrial stromal sarcoma and other soft-tissue tumors were detected for all of the immunohistochemical markers (P<0.05), except anti-bcl-2 and AE1/3. Antibodies against CD10 mark a substantial number of hemangiopericytomas and solitary fibrous tumors (albeit not diffusely) and should always be combined with antiestrogen receptor and CD34 when the differential diagnosis includes endometrial stromal sarcoma. Unlike estrogen receptor antibodies, progesterone receptor antibodies show at least focal nuclear staining in most hemangiopericytomas, solitary fibrous tumors and rare synovial sarcomas, and are not useful for this differential diagnosis. All endometrial stromal sarcomas expressed bcl-2, mostly in a diffuse pattern, but this did not distinguish between endometrial stromal sarcoma and mimics. We therefore recommend the use of a small antibody panel comprising anti-CD10, anti-estrogen receptor, and anti-CD34 to distinguish endometrial stromal sarcomas from tumors with a predominant hemangiopericytomatous growth pattern.
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PMID:Distinction of endometrial stromal sarcomas from 'hemangiopericytomatous' tumors using a panel of immunohistochemical stains. 1530 19

There are no known biological markers or technologies to predict the natural history of an individual CIN III. The probability of progression is considered greater with the persistence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and age. p53 polymorphism has been associated with cervical carcinogenesis. Hormone-induced cervical cancer is mediated by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). In cervical cancer, increased bcl-2 and Bax immunoreactivity is generally associated with a better prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of HPV 16 and HPV 18 typing and p53 codon polymorphism genotyping by polymerase chain reaction and ER, PR, bcl-2, and Bax expression by immunohistochemistry in predicting the CIN III clinical behavior of CIN III lesions. We studied the expression of these prognostic factors in the CIN III adjacent to squamous cell microinvasive carcinomas of the cervix (MIC) from 29 patients with FIGO stage IA1 cervical cancer and in 25 patients with CIN III and no documented focus of invasion. In the MIC group, only the CIN III was considered at least 2 mm away from the microinvasive complex. The ER, PR, bcl-2, and Bax immunoreactivity was scored as positive (>10% staining cells) and negative (<10% staining cells). No significant difference was observed between MIC and CIN III group concerning HPV infection and p53 polymorphism. The ER, PR, bcl-2, and Bax immunohistochemical expression was stronger and more frequent in the CIN III group. After multivariable analysis, coexpression of ER, PR, and bcl-2 was the only independent factor in defining low risk of progression for CIN III. Our study suggests that coexpression of ER, PR, and bcl-2 may be a useful tool in identifying the CIN III lesions with low risk of progression to cervical cancer.
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PMID:Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and bcl-2 are markers with prognostic significance in CIN III. 1536 Dec 3

The aberrant behavior of cancer reflects upregulation of certain oncogenic signaling pathways that promote proliferation, inhibit apoptosis, and enable the cancer to spread and evoke angiogenesis. Theoretically, it should be feasible to decrease the activity of these pathways-or increase the activity of pathways that oppose them-with noncytotoxic agents. Since multiple pathways are dysfunctional in most cancers, and cancers accumulate new oncogenic mutations as they progress, the greatest and most durable therapeutic benefit will likely be achieved with combination regimens that address several targets. Thus, a multifocal signal modulation therapy (MSMT) of cancer is proposed. This concept has already been documented by researchers who have shown that certain combinations of signal modulators-of limited utility when administered individually-can achieve dramatic suppression of tumor growth in rodent xenograft models. The present essay attempts to guide development of MSMTs for prostate cancer. Androgen ablation is a signal-modulating measure already in standard use in the management of delocalized prostate cancer. The additional molecular targets considered here include the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor, mammalian target of rapamycin, NF-kappaB, hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha, hsp90, cyclooxygenase-2, protein kinase A type I, vascular endothelial growth factor, 5-lipoxygenase, 12-lipoxygenase, angiotensin II receptor type 1, bradykinin receptor type 1, c-Src, interleukin-6, ras, MDM2, bcl-2/bclxL, vitamin D receptor, estrogen receptor-beta, and PPAR-. Various nutrients and phytochemicals suspected to have potential utility in prostate cancer prevention and therapy, but whose key molecular targets are still unknown, might reasonably be incorporated into MSMTs for prostate cancer; these include lycopene, selenium, green tea polyphenols, genistein, and silibinin. MSMTs can be developed systematically by testing various combinations of signal-modulating agents, in concentrations that can feasibly be achieved and maintained clinically, on human prostate cancer cell lines; combinations that appear promising can then be tested in xenograft models and, ultimately, in the clinic. Some signal modulators can increase response to cytotoxic drugs by upregulating effectors of apoptosis. When MSMTs fail to raise the spontaneous apoptosis rate sufficiently to achieve tumor stasis or regression, incorporation of appropriate cytotoxic agents into the regimen may improve the clinical outcome.
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PMID:Targeting multiple signaling pathways as a strategy for managing prostate cancer: multifocal signal modulation therapy. 1552 6

While the pesticide methoxychlor (MXC) has a variety of adverse effects on the female reproductive system, the effects of MXC on the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) are unknown. Thus, this study tested the hypothesis that MXC alters the growth of the OSE. Mouse OSE cells were isolated by enzymatic digestion and cultured with vehicle, 3 microM of MXC, or 3 microM of 2,2-bis[p-hydroxyphenyl]-1,1,1,-trichloroethane (HPTE) for 14 days. After culture, proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by measurement of cell density, immunohistochemistry, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell density was 66% greater for MXC-treated cells and 95% greater for HPTE-treated cells than controls (p < or = 0.05). The estrogen receptor blocker ICI 182,780 abolished MXC- and HPTE-induced increases in cell density. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining was positive in only 22 +/- 2.3% of controls, compared to 35 +/- 2.4% of MXC-treated cells and 40 +/- 2.4% of HPTE-treated cells (p < or = 0.05). The cell cycle regulators, cyclinD2 and cdk4, were significantly increased in MXC- and HPTE-treated cells compared to controls. The ApopTag assay demonstrated apoptotic cells in 4.8 +/- 0.45% of controls, 2.2 +/- 0.56% of MXC-treated cells, and 2.1 +/- 0.33% of HPTE-treated cells (p < or = 0.005). Expression of bcl-2 was significantly increased in MXC- and HPTE-treated cells, while bax was decreased in MXC- and HPTE-treated cells compared to controls. Collectively, these data indicate that MXC and HPTE stimulate OSE cell growth by increasing proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Further, since ICI 182,780 blocked MXC- and HPTE-induced OSE growth, these data suggest that the effects of MXC and HPTE on the OSE are mediated by estrogen receptors.
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PMID:Methoxychlor induces proliferation of the mouse ovarian surface epithelium. 1552 93


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