Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Endocrine and immunohistochemical studies were performed in a patient with lung cancer associated with gynecomastia. Elevated level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in plasma and mild hyperadrenocorticism were demonstrated by hormone assays. Postmortem examination proved the existence of anaplastic small cell carcinoma of the lung mixed with a feature of chorioepithelioma. The presence of significant amounts of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-melanocyte stimulating hormone (beta-MSH), calcitonin, gastrin, hCG, hCG-alpha, hCG-beta and human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS) in tumor tissues was demonstrated by radioimmunoassays, bioassay and immunohistochemical techniques. We present here a unique case of multiple hormones producing tumor elaborating both hormones of amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) series (ACTH, beta-MSH, calcitonin and gastrin) and of placental origin (hCG, hCG-alpha, hCG-beta and hCS).
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PMID:Multiple-hormone producing lung carcinoma. 22 25

The regulation of human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH) gene promoter activity by inducers of cAMP was investigated by transient transfection with a construct containing the hCRH gene promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Expression of hCRH-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase was strongly enhanced by forskolin in the neuroblastoma SK-N-MC and choriocarcinoma JAR cell lines. Overexpression of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A dispensed the need for forskolin, and cotransfection of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein cDNAs enhanced forskolin-dependent expression of the hCRH promoter. Progressive 5'-end deletions of the hCRH promoter delineated a cAMP- responsive region between -226 and -164 base pairs. This fragment contained the sequence TGACGTCA at -221 base pairs, consistent with the consensus motif for a CRE. A homologous oligonucleotide responded to cAMP when cloned in either orientation in front of the thymidine kinase promoter. However, the level of constitutive and inductive cAMP expression was dependent on the cell line and on intrinsic properties of the promoter. Mutation of the wild type CRH-CRE sequence into an AP-1 site (TGAGTCA) completely abolished stimulation by cAMP. In contrast, coexpression of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A dispensed the need for stimulation with forskolin, which showed that the CRH-CRE oligonucleotide served as a functional equivalent of the native CRE element.
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PMID:Identification and characterization of a 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-responsive element in the human corticotropin-releasing hormone gene promoter. 148 Jan 79

Urocortin (UCN) is a 40 amino acid peptide which is closely related to corticotropin-releasing hormone and binds with high affinity to both CRH type 1 and type 2 receptors. UCN is expressed in human reproductive tissues including endometrium, ovary, and placenta. This study was designed to investigate the cellular localization of UCN at the implantation site of the human blastocyst, as well as the regulation of the UCN promoter by two major intracellular signaling pathways, the cAMP/PKA and diacylglycerol/PKC pathways, in cells of placental origin. For this reason, immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue sections from paraffin-embedded human first trimester placentas and freshly isolated human invasive extravillous trophoblast cells (EVT) were analyzed for UCN expression using RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. Finally, UCN promoter activity was analyzed in the JEG3 human choriocarcinoma cell line. Immunohistochemistry revealed expression of UCN in the cytotrophoblast, the EVT and decidual cells. Both UCN mRNA and peptide were detectable in freshly isolated EVT. Finally, a human UCN promoter luciferase reporter construct transfected into JEG3 cells was significantly inducible by phorbol ester plus ionomycin, but not by phorbol ester alone or by forskolin. Collectively, the present study reports the expression of UCN in EVT and the activation of the UCN gene promoter by the diacylglycerol/PKC pathway. The functional significance of urocortin for the physiology of EVT requires further investigation.
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PMID:Expression of urocortin in the extravillous human trophoblast at the implantation site. 1669 78