Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P00750 (PLA)
 16,800 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The biological effects of estriol (E3) have been studied in three estrogen targets, namely, the rat uterus in vivo and in vitro, in primary human endometrial cell cultures and in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture. Studies on the temporal relationships between estrogen receptor binding and biological responses in the uterus using estriol and several more long-acting estriol derivatives, namely, 17 alpha-ethynyl estriol, estriol-3-cyclopentyl ether, and 17 alpha-ethynyl estriol-3-cyclopentyl ether, indicate that estriol is a short-acting compound with a brief duration of action. Estriol is a poor stimulator of uterine growth and plasminogen activator activity in vivo. Chemical modifications of the estriol molecule produce long-acting derivatives that result in a prolonged input of hormone receptor complexes into the nucleus and a prolonged and marked stimulation of uterine growth. In human endometrial cells in primary tissue culture, E3 has 12% the affinity of estradiol (E2) for cytosol estrogen receptor and it is quite effective yet slightly less potent than estradiol in stimulation of progesterone receptor synthesis. Low concentrations of E3 (10(-10) M) stimulate growth of MCF-7 cells in vitro and dose-response curves show E3 to be only slightly less effective than E2. In these endometrial and breast cancer cell systems in vitro, there is no metabolism of E3 while E2 is metabolized to estrone. Hence, estriol is an effective estrogen in vitro. In vivo, it is short-acting, but it can be made a full estrogen agonist when given at a sufficiently high concentration or in a chemically modified form which prolongs its activity by enabling effective concentrations of the compound to be maintained in the blood and in target tissues.
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PMID:Biology and receptor interactions of estriol and estriol derivatives in vitro and in vivo. 672 48

The effect of the antiestrogens tamoxifen and nafoxidine on the growth of the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 is modified by both serum and insulin. Tamoxifen inhibition of the growth of MCF-7 cells in culture is reduced as the concentration of serum in the medium is increased from 0.1% to 5 to 10%. Estradiol does not stimulate cell growth over the same range of serum levels. Insulin changes the sensitivity of MCF-7 cells to both estrogen and antiestrogens. Cells growing in media containing insulin are less sensitive to inhibition by either tamoxifen or nafoxidine than are cells growing in its absence. In addition, higher concentrations of estradiol are required to stimulate the production of plasminogen activator when cells are grown in media containing insulin. This effect of insulin can be accounted for by the finding that insulin lowers the level of estrogen receptor in MCF-7 cells without altering the binding constant for the hormone. Cells grown with insulin have an average of 21,000 +/- 4,700 (S.D.) estrogen binding sites/cell compared to 62,000 +/- 9,700 sites/cell in cells grown in the absence of insulin. This difference in receptor level is sufficient to account for the difference in the concentration of estradiol needed for equivalent induction of plasminogen activator in cultures with or without insulin. These results indicate that the level of estrogen receptor in breast cancer cells can be changed and that the sensitivity of such cells, both to estrogen and to antiestrogens, is altered by changes in the level of estrogen receptor. They also have implications concerning the mechanism by which antiestrogens act to inhibit the growth of mammary tumor cells.
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PMID:Effects of serum and insulin on the sensitivity of the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 to estrogen and antiestrogens. 700 31

We have used a sensitive and quantitative assay to investigate the hormonal regulation of plasminogen activator (PA) activity in the rat uterus. PA activity is increased 5-fold (per U protein or DNA) by low physiological (0.1 micrograms) doses of estradiol, with increases in activity first observed at approximately 12 h. The stimulation of PA activity shows strict specificity among the steroid hormones, being stimulated by estrogens only or by high doses of dihydrotestosterone, which are known to affect the estrogen receptor system, and this stimulation is suppressed markedly by triphenylethylene antiestrogens. Comparative dose-response studies with a variety of estrogens of different uterotropic potencies indicate a good correlation between the potencies of different estrogens in stimulating PA activity and uterine growth (diethylstilbestrol = 17 beta-estradiol greater than estrone = 17 alpha-estradiol greater than estriol), with the exception of the zearalanol estrogen P-1496, which was consistently a potent stimulator of PA activity while being a very weak uterotropic agent. These studies suggest that increases in uterine PA levels may serve as a good marker of estrogen action in the uterus. Although the role of PA in uterine function remains unknown at present, its relatively large increase (up to 25-fold increase in content per uterus) may play a role in tissue remodeling during uterine growth.
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PMID:Uterine plasminogen activator activity: modulation by steroid hormones. 720 82

Hydrolysis of extracellular matrix is a necessary step for malignant cells to invade, and metastasize. Three groups of proteinases, mainly serine, thiol and metalloproteinases, have been found to be secreted by cancer cells and responsible for the proteolytic cascade triggered during invasion. Previous studies from our group and others have shown that the thiol proteinase cathepsin B1 is a constant indicator of tumor invasion in carcinoma of the cervix, although others point to plasminogen activators and collagenases. So far, there are no systematic studies to correlate cathepsin B and plasminogen activator activity with advancing malignant disease and thus estimate its capability as a marker of progression. The purpose of this study was to determine the activity of cathepsin B like proteinase and plasminogen activators in invasive carcinoma of the breast at various clinical stages and with different estrogen receptor status. One hundred patients with carcinoma of the breast at different clinical stages were studied. Cathepsin B and plasminogen activators activity was assessed in tumor cytosols using different synthetic oligopeptides as substrates following the method of Smith. Estrogen receptor concentration was determined with monoclonal antibodies. A statistical analysis and correlation with different clinical stages was performed. Cathepsin B-like activity had a consistent and progressive elevation in direct correlation with clinical stage (stage I, 1.97 SE +/- 0.46; stage II, 6.67 SE +/- 1.12; stage III, 28.19 SE +/- 3.48; nmol/mg/30 min), while plasminogen activators, although constantly elevated, had no correlation with tumor progression. No relation could be found with estrogen receptor status. It is concluded that cathepsin B, but not plasminogen activator, is a good indicator of tumor progression in invasive carcinoma of the breast.
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PMID:Proteinase activity in invasive cancer of the breast. Correlation with tumor progression. 884 43

Activation of protein kinase C- (PKC) and Fos/Jun-dependent signal transduction pathways are thought to be major effects of oncogene action in different tumor systems including human non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We have previously shown that the phorbol ester analogue phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA), which is a potent activator of PKC, can induce squamous-type cellular differentiation and the expression of proteinases, such as plasminogen activators and pro-cathepsin L, in several NSCLC cell lines. To investigate the PMA-dependent effect on proteinase secretion in more detail, we have now analysed the role of a downstream transmitter of PKC activity in this process, namely Fos, which is part of the AP-1 transcription factor in the nucleus. We transfected a cell line derived from an undifferentiated squamous-cell lung carcinoma with different chimeric fos-estrogen receptor constructs (fos-ER) which makes selective activation of this transcription factor possible. The resulting clones were treated either with PMA as activator of PKC, or with diethylstilbestrol (DES), an estrogen analogue binding to and thereby activating preformed Fos-ER molecules. We show that cells treated with either substance undergo similar phenotypic changes (change from cuboidal to spindle-cell type) and decrease their doubling rates and cloning efficiencies. This is paralleled by the induction of several proteinase genes such as t-PA, urokinase, and pro-cathepsins B and L. Contrary to activated PKC, Fos in this system seems to be unable to initiate terminal squamous-cell differentiation, as assessed by the production of cornified envelopes. It is, however, efficient in the stimulation of neutral or lysosomal proteinase secretion as determined by Western-blot analysis and zymography. This Fos-ER expressing system thus seems to be a valuable tool in the molecular dissection of pathways that lead to the activation and secretion of proteinases in NSCLC cells.
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PMID:Control of proteinase expression by phorbol-ester- and Fos-dependent pathways in human non-small-cell lung-cancer cells. 913 54

In order to study the association of histological grade (HG) with specific clinical and biological parameters which may influence the clinical behavior of infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast (IDC), we analyzed in 229 tissue samples the cytosolic concentrations of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), pS2, cathepsin D, hyaluronic acid (HA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), as well as those of the erbB2 oncoprotein, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HA, CD44v5 and CD44v6 in the cell membrane fraction. Likewise, we considered size, ploidy, S-phase fraction and axillary node involvement as variables of the study. The transition from HG1 to HG2 and from HG2 to HG3 was accompanied by a number of common features: global increase in size, greater number of tumors >2.0 cm, decrease in membrane hyaluronic acid concentrations, increased cell proliferation (S-phase >7%) and greater aneuploidy. Other events observed during the transition from HG2 to HG3 were a decrease in ER, PR, t-PA and cytosolic hyaluronic acid. These results led us to consider that HG is associated with certain clinical-biological changes that may help explain its value as a prognostic factor in breast carcinomas.
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PMID:Histological grade in breast cancer: association with clinical and biological features in a series of 229 patients. 1128 57

One of the potential therapeutic interventions to hormone-independent breast cancer would be to reactivate the expression of estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor (PR) in the tumor cells so as to render the tumor responsive to the hormones. We have reported previously that progesterone markedly inhibited cell growth and induced remarkable focal adhesions in PR-transfected MDA-MB-231 cells. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of progesterone on the invasive properties and in vivo tumor growth of PR-transfected MDA-MB-231 cells. It was found that progesterone has increased cell resistance to trypsin digestion and increased cell attachment to extracellular matrix proteins, especially laminin and fibronectin. In vitro invasion assays using modified Boyden chambers showed that progesterone increased cell migration through matrix protein-coated membranes. However, Northern blotting analysis demonstrated that progesterone strongly down-regulated (up to 60-fold) the gene expression of urokinase plasminogen activator and increased (up to 5-fold) the expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator in these cells. This pattern of gene regulation suggested an inhibition of cell invasiveness because numerous clinical studies have indicated that low levels of urokinase plasminogen activator and high levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator in breast cancer are associated with favorable prognosis. Furthermore, animal studies showed that progesterone strongly inhibited the tumor formation and growth in Scid mice. After 12 weeks of inoculation, the median weight of tumors in the progesterone-treated group was 25 mg compared with 203 mg in the placebo group (P < 0.001). These results suggest that progesterone may provide effective treatment for estrogen receptor- and PR-negative breast cancer if the PR expression were reactivated. Alternatively, activation of progesterone-mediated molecular pathways in hormone-independent breast cancer may achieve similar therapeutic effects.
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PMID:Effect of progesterone on the invasive properties and tumor growth of progesterone receptor-transfected breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231. 1155 6

Tumor cell invasion requires expression of degradative enzymes such as plasminogen activator, collagenase, and cathepsins. Cathepsin D, a lysosomal aspartic protease produced constitutively in human breast cancer cell lines, also has mitogenic activity in breast cancer cells. Additionally, high cathepsin D expression is associated with increased risk of metastasis in patients with node-negative breast cancer. Recently, a novel aspartic protease gene, ALP56 (aspartic-like protease 56kDa), has been identified. To examine possible interrelationships we quantitated ALP56 mRNA and cathepsin D mRNA in breast cancers using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. ALP56 mRNA expression was greater in cancers than in noncancerous tissues (p < 0.0001), as was expression of cathepsin D mRNA. ALP56 gene expression was dose-dependently down-regulated in T-47D breast cancer cells treated with estradiol, while cathepsin D was up-regulated. Expression of ALP56 mRNA in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers was less than that in ER-negative cancers, and mRNA expression for ALP56 and cathepsin D did not correlate with one another. Thus ALP56 as well as cathepsin D may be a useful target molecule in breast cancer treatment.
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PMID:A novel aspartic protease gene, ALP56, is up-regulated in human breast cancer independently from the cathepsin D gene. 1261 55

We have developed a parenteral delivery system for the administration of the highly promising pure antiestrogen RU 58668 (RU). Two types of nanoparticles (NP) made of biodegradable copolymers and coated with polyethylene-glycol (PEG) chains were prepared: nanospheres (NS) (diameter, approximately 110 nm) and nanocapsules (NC) with an oily core (diameter, approximately 250 nm). The amount of RU incorporated into NS and NC was approximately 33 vs. approximately 5 microg RU/mg of polymer, respectively. Coating with PEG chains prolonged the antiestrogenic potency of RU, as shown by a prolonged antiuterotrophic activity of encapsulated RU into PEG-poly(D,L lactic acid) (PLA) NS, as compared to that of conventional nonpegylated NS. In mice bearing MCF-7 estrogen-dependent tumors, free RU injected at 4.3 mg/kg/week by i.v. route slightly decreased the estradiol-promoted (0.5 mg/kg/week) tumor growth while RU-loaded PEG-PLA NS injected at the same dose strongly reduced it. Analysis of cell cycle parameters in tumors treated with RU indicated that RU-loaded PEG-PLA NS injected at 4.3 mg/kg/week in MCF-7 tumors decreased cyclin D(1) and cyclin E simultaneously, and increased p27. The antitumoral activity of RU encapsulated within pegylated NC was stronger than that of RU entrapped with pegylated NS loaded at an equivalent dose. Indeed, the former decreased the tumor size in nude mice transplanted with the estrogen receptor-positive but estrogen-independent MCF-7/Ras breast cancer cells at a concentration 2.5 times lower than that of the latter (0.4 mg/kg/week compared to 1 mg/kg/week). Empty PEG-PLA NS and NC were devoid of antiuterotrophic and antitumoral activities. Altogether, these results suggest that the incorporation of the pure antiestrogen RU into long-circulating NP could represent a novel antiestrogen drug delivery system for the parenteral route.
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PMID:In vitro and in vivo biologic evaluation of long-circulating biodegradable drug carriers loaded with the pure antiestrogen RU 58668. 1284 87

The prognostic value of components of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) system, its receptor uPAR (CD87), and plasminogen activator inhibitors PAI-1 and PAI-2 is well established. We studied the predictive value of these proteolytic factors by evaluating the association of their tumor expression level and the efficacy of tamoxifen therapy in patients with recurrent breast cancer. The antigen levels of the four factors were determined by ELISA in cytosols prepared from estrogen receptor-positive primary breast tumors of 691 hormone-naive breast cancer patients with recurrent disease and treated with tamoxifen as first-line systemic therapy. High tumor levels of uPA (P < 0.001), uPAR (P < 0.01), and PAI-1 (P = 0.01) were associated with a lower efficacy of tamoxifen therapy. In the multivariable analysis, uPA (P < 0.001) provided additional information independent of the traditional predictive factors to predict benefit from tamoxifen therapy. High levels of uPA, uPAR, and PAI-1 predicted a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) on tamoxifen in an analysis of the first 9 months of therapy. However in the analysis during the total follow-up period, high PAI-2 levels (P = 0.01) showed a longer response to tamoxifen. In conclusion, uPA, uPAR, and PAI-1, components of the urokinase system, are predictive for the efficacy of tamoxifen therapy in patients treated for recurrent breast cancer. Knowledge of their tumor expression levels might be helpful for future individualized therapy protocols, including possible new-targeted therapies based on the interference in the urokinase system.
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PMID:Urokinase-type plasminogen activator system in breast cancer: association with tamoxifen therapy in recurrent disease. 1523 67


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