Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01185 (vasopressin)
 23,126 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report an 8-year-old boy with a primary intrasellar mixed germ-cell tumor who underwent the trans-sphenoidal approach for tumor removal. Initially he suffered from diabetes insipidus. Precocious puberty and left abducens nerve palsy were also observed. Elevation of serum testosterone, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were found on admission. The histological study revealed mixed cellular types of tumor including germinoma, choriocarcinoma, embryonic cell carcinoma, and teratoma. Postoperative radiation to a total of 5000 cGy was performed. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered before and after radiation. The boy was disease-free during a 6-month follow-up period. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging showed no presence of tumor. The signs of precocious puberty disappeared, and the diabetes insipidus was easily controlled. The abducens nerve regained normal function. Serum HCG, AFP, and testosterone levels all returned to normal. Serum antidiuretic hormone increased to reach the lower limit of the normal range.
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PMID:Primary intrasellar mixed germ-cell tumor with precocious puberty and diabetes insipidus. 908 1

To study the transcriptional regulation of the vasopressin gene in vitro, 3 kb of the 5' regulatory region of the rat vasopressin gene was isolated and subcloned, along with a series of various deletion mutants, into vectors containing the luciferase reporter gene. After transfecting these genes transiently into the human choriocarcinoma cell line JEG-3 along with a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression vector, transcriptional activity was quantitated using the luciferase assay. Forskolin, 8-bromo-cAMP, and protein kinase A catalytic subunit expression all markedly increased transcription from the 3-kb promoter. Analyses with deletion mutants of the promoter showed that two cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-like sequences (-227 to -220 bp and -123 to -116 bp) contribute to this positive regulation. Expression of KCREB, a dominant negative mutant of the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), suggested the involvement of CREB. Transfection of the activator protein 2 (AP2) DNA consensus sequence partially blocked transcription. Dexamethasone suppressed forskolin-stimulated expression. The negative effect of glucocorticoid was GR dependent and may be mediated by a mechanism not involving GR binding to DNA because it was independent of the putative glucocorticoid-responsive element previously reported in the vasopressin promoter (-622 to -608 bp) and was preserved in the shorter promoter constructs in which no glucocorticoid-responsive element-like sequence was found. Our data suggest that several trans-acting factors including CREB, AP2, and GR are likely to be involved in vasopressin gene transcription and that the positive and negative regulation of vasopressin gene transcription is complex.
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PMID:Positive and negative regulation of the rat vasopressin gene promoter. 938 10

Germ cell tumours of the central nervous system (CNS) include many subtypes whose response to treatment varies, even though the symptoms and radiological appearances are similar. Five-year survival rates are 96% for germinomas, 100% for mature teratomas, 67% for immature teratomas and 69% for immature teratomas mixed with germinomas; for beta-HCG secreting germinomas the rate is only 38%. Patients with choriocarcinoma, embryonal carcinoma, or yolk sac tumour have the lowest survival rates; patients with germinoma or mature teratoma have longer survival rates. Although a wider resection is associated with a higher rate of survival for patients with non-germinomatous germ cell (NGGC) tumours, to date an aggressive surgical approach has been advocated only for pineal region tumours, but not for hypothalamic/neurohypophyseal tumours. Beside the delayed injury induced by radiotherapy, the late injury induced by chemotherapy is becoming increasingly evident. Cisplatin is considered an indispensable drug, but it may cause renal damage, ototoxicity, peripheral neuropathy and sterility, while etoposide is associated with an excess frequency of second neoplasms. Taking into account all of the published literature, the following therapeutic options are suggested: in pure germinoma tumours (GT) radiotherapy alone will usually ensure adequate control of the disease, and the long-term sequelae may be limited by reducing the dose delivered, as was proposed for germ cell testicular tumours, to 30 Gy to limited fields plus 25-30 Gy to the spinal axis if there is disseminated disease. In cases of recurrence, which should be uncommon, patients may be rescued with both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In NGGC tumours, the prognosis is more unfavourable and there is often dissemination to the spine at diagnosis; however, the tumour's high chemosensitivity suggests neoadjuvant treatment chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide for three cycles followed by consolidation radiotherapy with 40 Gy to the limited fields plus 30 Gy to the spinal axis if disseminated. In our opinion, a higher dose of radiotherapy in cases in which chemotherapy does not achieve a radiological complete remission is not advisable, because very often the residual radiological abnormality does not represent biologically active tumour but differentiated forms such as mature teratoma. The challenge for 2000 is to both cure these patients, and avoid the late and permanent sequelae of radiation and/or chemotherapy that may subsequently impair quality of life.
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PMID:The treatment of cranial germ cell tumours. 1091 79

We recently identified two novel aminopeptidases, placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP) and adipocyte-derived leucine aminopeptidase (A-LAP). Enzymatically, P-LAP degrades oxytocin, vasopressin, and angiotensin III, while A-LAP degrades angiotensin II and kallidin. In this study we investigated the expression and localization of P-LAP and A-LAP in human trophoblastic cells in the normal placenta (n = 26), gestational choriocarcinoma (n = 8), and placental site trophoblastic tumor (n = 3). On immunoblot analysis both P-LAP and A-LAP proteins were detected in normal placenta and five choriocarcinoma tissues, as well as in two choriocarcinoma cell lines. Immunohistochemical staining of normal placental tissues demonstrated that P-LAP was not only localized in villous syncytiotrophoblasts but also highly expressed in extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) invading the decidua or maternal spiral arteries. The expression level of P-LAP on these invasive EVTs reached a maximum during the late first to second trimesters of pregnancy, and it decreased in the third trimester. Similarly, A-LAP was strongly expressed in EVTs invading the decidua or spiral arteries in the second trimester of pregnancy, while it was weakly or moderately expressed in villous cytotrophoblasts or EVTs located in the cell columns. These two aminopeptidases were more strongly expressed in all eight choriocarcinomas and three placental site trophoblastic tumors and mainly localized to the intermediate-type trophoblastic tumor cells invading the uterine myometrium or stromal vessels. In summary P-LAP and A-LAP were predominantly expressed in the invasive phenotype of EVTs during placentation, as well as in the invasive tumor cells of trophoblastic neoplasms. These results suggest the involvement of these aminopeptidases in invasiveness of both normal and malignant intermediate-type trophoblasts possibly through degradation of specific peptide substrates.
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PMID:Expression of placental leucine aminopeptidase and adipocyte-derived leucine aminopeptidase in human normal and malignant invasive trophoblastic cells. 1469 Dec 98

We report a case of intracranial germ cell tumor that showed pathological changes from neurohypophyseal germinoma to mixed germ cell tumors consisting exclusively of undifferentiated sarcomatous component after radiochemotherapy. Three surgical specimens and autopsied brain from the patient were histologically examined. An initial specimen from the neurohypophyseal tumor was diagnosed as germinoma with a two-cell pattern. Five years later, after repeated radiochemotherapy, the second specimen resected from the right temporal lobe showed mixed germ cell tumors consisting of the three components of germinoma, choriocarcinoma, and immature teratoma. Six months later after intensive radiotherapy, the right temporal tumor recurred and was surgically removed. The histological diagnosis was mixed germ cell tumors with abundant immature teratoma component. The patient died of uncontrollable tumor growth with repeated intratumoral hemorrhages. The autopsied brain showed sarcoma with angionecrosis. This pathological alteration indicated an increase in the sarcomatous component after undergoing various treatments. We discuss the histological changes of intracranial germ cell tumor modified by treatment.
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PMID:Mixed germ cell tumors with abundant sarcomatous component in the temporal lobe after radiochemotherapy of neurohypophyseal germinoma: a case report. 1809 24