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)

Bilateral malignant polyadenomas of adrenals seem to be rare. They involve either a double primary adrenal tumour, or a metastasis of a controlateral tumour. In the observation reported here, the evolution is characterized by periods of central stimulation with partial autonomy, and periods of tumoral autonomy with central inertness. Pathological findings consist of coexistence of various histological aspects (atrophy, hyperplasia, benign adenoma, carcinoma) suggesting the successive steps of a very particuliar adrenal carcinogenesis. Such findings allow to discuss the following physiopathological mechanism: a stimulation by ACTH might have resulted initially in a preneoplasic hyperplasia, then in an incompletely autonomous tumour, and finally in an autonomous tumour. Accordingly, from a practical and therapeutic point of view, it would be suitable, after removal of an adrenal tumour, especially of one with demonstrated ACTH-dependance, to suppress totally endogenous ACTH by cortisol or cortisone therapy, in order to reduce the occurence of corticotropin stimulation of possibly remaining malignant adrenal cells.
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PMID:[Partially hormone dependent bilateral malignant polyadenomatous hyperplasia]. 20 15

In order to investigate the involvement of opioid peptides and prolactin in stress-facilitated mammary cancer, we studied the effect of chronic restraint stress on dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumorigenesis and the effect of an opiate antagonist, naltrexone, on this process. Female Fischer-344 rats (n = 160) were administered 15 mg DMBA/ml of sesame oil/rat by intragastric intubation. Eighty rats were subjected to daily 30 min restraint stress in a plastic cylinder, and 80 rats served as control not subjected to the stressor. Half of the rats from each group received naltrexone (1 mg/kg, i.p. daily). Five rats from each group (restraint stress +/- naltrexone and control +/- naltrexone) were killed every 2-3 weeks. Rats subjected to restraint stress developed a greater number of tumors earlier. Naltrexone decreased the tumor incidence in the stressed animals from 32 to 12% (P less than 0.001) and in unstressed rats from 27 to 15% (P less than 0.001) at the end of 18 weeks. Stressed rats showed a decrease of 48% (P less than 0.001) in the level of hypothalamic beta-endorphin. Plasma prolactin increased from 4-13 ng/ml in the control rats to 109-396 ng/ml (P less than 0.001) in the stressed rats throughout the 18 week period. The beneficial effect of naltrexone was associated with 42% (P less than 0.01) increase in T cell proliferation, but greater than 90% (P less than 0.001) decrease in plasma prolactin level was observed in naltrexone-treated rats compared to the untreated animals. Rats subjected to restraint stress showed a 15% (P less than 0.001) decrease in weight gain at the end of the experiment (18 weeks). Neither restraint stress nor naltrexone administration affected the caloric intake of rats during this period. Thus, we believe that restraint stress facilitates DMBA-induced mammary tumors by releasing beta-endorphin and prolactin, and naltrexone shows a beneficial effect by opposing the effect of beta-endorphin on prolactin release in the stressed animals.
Carcinogenesis 1991 Apr
PMID:Facilitation of dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced rat mammary tumorigenesis by restraint stress: role of beta-endorphin, prolactin and naltrexone. 190 24

Neuroendocrine cells are thought to have a regulatory role in prostatic epithelial growth and may be prognostically useful in prostatic adenocarcinoma. To determine the extent of neuroendocrine differentiation in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), a putative precursor of cancer, we studied the immunohistochemical expression of 10 markers in 26 radical prostatectomy specimens with PIN and adenocarcinoma. Expression was measured as mean percent of positive cases and positive high-power (x40) fields. The highest percentage of cases showed immunoreactivity for serotonin (73%, PIN; 54%, carcinoma), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) (67%, PIN; 46%, carcinoma), chromogranin (62%, PIN; 65%, carcinoma), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (30%, PIN; 22%, carcinoma); the remaining markers showed immunoreactivity in fewer than 5% of cases (somatostatin, calcitonin, corticotropin) or in no cases (thyrotropin, prolactin, and glucagon). At least one of the markers was present in 88% of cases of PIN and 92% of carcinoma. Non-neoplastic epithelial cells expressed serotonin, NSE, chromogranin, and hCG in every case, and the expression was significantly greater than in PIN and cancer. Stepwise regression analysis revealed the following positive correlations: chromogranin expression in PIN and patient age, NSE expression in cancer and number of lymph node metastases, and hCG expression in cancer and percentage of Gleason pattern 5; serotonin expression in PIN and cancer did not correlate with any of the clinical and pathologic factors. Neuroendocrine differentiation is downregulated in prostatic carcinogenesis, with intermediate levels of expression in PIN compared with normal cells and carcinoma.
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PMID:Neuroendocrine differentiation in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and adenocarcinoma. 797 47

We have recently established that local exposure to a 929.2 MHz electromagnetic near-field, used for cellular phones, does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term bioassay system. In the present study, a 1.439 GHz electromagnetic near-field (EMF), another microwave band employed for cellular phones in Japan, was similarly investigated. Time division multiple access (TDMA) signals for the Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) Japanese cellular telephone standard system were directed to rats through a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna. Numerical dosimetry showed that the peak SARs within the liver were 1.91-0.937 W/kg, while the whole-body average specific absorption rates (SARs) were 0.680-0.453 W/kg, when the time-averaged antenna radiation power was 0.33 W. Exposure was for 90 min a day, 5 days a week, over 6 weeks, to male F344 rats given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 weeks previously. At week 3, all rats were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. At week 8, the experiment was terminated and the animals were killed. Carcinogenic potential was scored by comparing the numbers and areas of the induced glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci in the livers of exposed (48) and sham-exposed rats (48). Despite increased serum levels of corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and melatonin, the numbers and the areas of GST-P-positive foci were not significantly altered by the exposure. These findings clearly indicated that local body exposure to a 1.439 GHz EMF, as in the case of a 929.2 MHz field, has no promoting effect on rat liver carcinogenesis in the present model.
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PMID:The 1.5 GHz electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay. 984 76

We have previously reported that exposures of F344 male rats to both 900 MHz and 1.5 GHz electro-magnetic near fields (EMFs) results in slightly decreased numbers and areas of glutathione S-transferase (GST-P)-positive liver foci, liver preneoplastic lesions in rats, in a medium-term liver bioassay (K. Imaida, M. Taki, T. Yamaguchi, T. Ito, S. Watanabe, K. Wake, A. Aimoto, Y. Kamimura, N. Ito, T. Shirai, Lack of promoting effects of the electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones (929.2 MHz) on rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay, Carcinogenesis 19 (1998) 311-314; K. Imaida, M. Taki, S. Watanabe, Y. Kamimura, T. Ito, T. Yamaguchi, N. Ito, T. Shirai, The 1.5 GHz electromagnetic near-field used for cellular phones does not promote rat liver carcinogenesis in a medium-term liver bioassay, Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 89 (1998) 995-1002.). In both experiments, the melatonin serum levels were significantly decreased in both 900 MHz and 1.5 GHz exposed groups as compared with sham-exposed control group values. Therefore, changes of serum melatonin levels may modify the development of preneoplastic lesions in the livers of rats exposed by EMF. In order to clarify this question, the effects of different doses of melatonin (1, 5, 10 and 20 ppm in the drinking water) were analyzed in the same bioassay system employed for our previously reported EMF exposure studies. Six-week-old male F344 rats were given a single dose of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg b.w., i.p.). Starting 2 weeks later, they were treated with 0, 1, 5, 10 and 20 ppm melatonin in their drinking water for 6 weeks. Melatonin treatment were performed only during the night (between 18:00 to 09:00) in order to maintain their circadian rhythm, since serum melatonin levels are high at midnight. At week 3, all rats were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. At week 8, the experiment was terminated and the animals were sacrificed. Serum hormone levels of melatonin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone at this time point were measured, only the first being elevated, while LH and testosterone were reduced. Although clear dose dependence was not apparent, both numbers and areas of GST-P-positive foci in the liver were decreased in the melatonin treated groups, this being significant for numbers in the 10 ppm melatonin group. Comparison of the current results with the previously reported findings for EMF exposure experiments, suggests that increase in melatonin serum levels is a possible reason for the associated tendency for decreased preneoplastic hepatocyte foci development.
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PMID:Inhibitory effects of low doses of melatonin on induction of preneoplastic liver lesions in a medium-term liver bioassay in F344 rats: relation to the influence of electromagnetic near field exposure. 1081 86

Ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phospho-diesterase-I enzyme (E-NPP), one of the type II transmembrane proteins, cleaves phosphodiester and phosphosulfate bonds of a variety of substrates including deoxynucleotides, NAD, and nucleotide sugars. Mammalian E-NPP consists of three closely related family proteins; E-NPP1 (PC-1), E-NPP2 (PDNP2/PD-Ialpha/autotaxin), and E-NPP3 (CD203c/PDNP3/PD-Ibeta/B10/gp130RB13-6) that express in different cells or at different locations even in the same cell. E-NPP3 is associated with malignant subversion and invasive properties. In this study, the expression and localization of E-NPP3 were investigated in human colon carcinoma. Western blotting showed strong E-NPP3 expression in cancer tissues and in the serum of colon carcinoma patients. Immunohistochemically, E-NPP3 was expressed not only in the apical but also in the basolateral plasma membranes of cancer cells. No prominent pattern of intracellular localization, and no relation between clinical stage and E-NPP3 expression were observed. Our results suggested that E-NPP3 is associated with carcinogenesis of human colon cancer and that serum E-NPP3 might be a tumor marker of colon carcinoma.
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PMID:Expression and localization of ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase I-3 (E-NPP3/CD203c/PD-I beta/B10/gp130RB13-6) in human colon carcinoma. 1453 6

Mice with a single copy of the retinoblastoma gene (Rb(+/-)) develop a syndrome of multiple neuroendocrine neoplasia. They usually succumb to fast-growing, Rb-deficient melanotroph tumors of the pituitary intermediate lobe, which are extremely rare in humans. Thus, full assessment of Rb role in other, more relevant to human pathology, neoplasms is complicated. To prevent melanotroph neoplasia while preserving spontaneous carcinogenesis in other types of cells, we have prepared transgenic mice in which 770-bp fragment of pro-opiomelanocortin promoter directs expression of the human RB gene to melanotrophs (TgPOMC-RB). In three independent lines, transgenic mice crossed to Rb(+/-) background are devoid of melanotroph tumors but develop the usual spectrum of other neoplasms. Interestingly, abrogation of melanotroph carcinogenesis results in accelerated progression of pituitary anterior lobe tumors and medullary thyroid carcinomas. A combination of immunologic tests, cell culture studies, and tumorigenicity assays indicates that alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which is overproduced by melanotroph tumors, attenuates neoplastic progression by decreasing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Taken together, we show that cell lineage-specific complementation of Rb function can be successfully used for refining available models of stochastic carcinogenesis and identify alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone as a potential attenuating factor during progression of neuroendocrine neoplasms.
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PMID:Suppression of melanotroph carcinogenesis leads to accelerated progression of pituitary anterior lobe tumors and medullary thyroid carcinomas in Rb+/- mice. 1570 75

The constitutive color of our skin plays a dramatic role in our photoprotection from solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that reaches the Earth and in minimizing DNA damage that gives rise to skin cancer. More than 120 genes have been identified and shown to regulate pigmentation, one of the key genes being melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) that encodes the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor expressed on the surface of melanocytes. Modulation of MC1R function regulates melanin synthesis by melanocytes qualitatively and quantitatively. The MC1R is regulated by the physiological agonists alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alphaMSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and antagonist agouti signaling protein (ASP). Activation of the MC1R by binding of an agonist stimulates the synthesis of eumelanin primarily via activation of adenylate cyclase. The significance of cutaneous pigmentation lies in the photoprotective effect of melanin, particularly eumelanin, against sun-induced carcinogenesis. Epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes respond to UVR by increasing their expression of alphaMSH and ACTH, which up-regulate the expression of MC1R, and consequently enhance the response of melanocytes to melanocortins. Constitutive skin pigmentation dramatically affects the incidence of skin cancer. The pigmentary phenotype characterized by red hair, fair complexion, inability to tan and tendency to freckle is an independent risk factor for all skin cancers, including melanoma. The MC1R gene is highly polymorphic in human populations, and allelic variation at this locus accounts, to a large extent, for the variation in pigmentary phenotypes and skin phototypes (SPT) in humans. Several allelic variants of the MC1R gene are associated with the red hair and fair skin (RHC) phenotype, and carrying one of these variants is thought to diminish the ability of the epidermis to respond to DNA damage elicited by UVR. The MC1R gene is considered a melanoma susceptibility gene, and its significance in determining the risk for skin cancer is of tremendous interest.
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PMID:MC1R and the response of melanocytes to ultraviolet radiation. 1574 44

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is a prohormone of various neuropeptides, including corticotropin, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), and beta-endorphin (beta-EP). POMC neuropeptides are potent inflammation inhibitors and immunosuppressants and may exert opposite influences during tumorigenesis. However, the role of POMC expression in carcinogenesis remains elusive. We evaluated the antineoplastic potential of POMC gene delivery in a syngenic B16-F10 melanoma model. Adenovirus-mediated POMC gene delivery in B16-F10 cells increased the release of POMC neuropeptides in cultured media, which differentially regulated the secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in lymphocytes. POMC gene transfer significantly reduced the anchorage-independent growth of melanoma cells. Moreover, pre- or post-treatment with POMC gene delivery effectively retarded the melanoma growth in mice. Intravenous injection of POMC-transduced B16-F10 cells resulted in reduced foci formation in lung by 60 to 70% of control. The reduced metastasis of POMC-transduced B16-F10 cells could be attributed to their attenuated migratory and adhesive capabilities. POMC gene delivery reduced the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin (PG) E(2) synthesis in melanoma cells and tumor tissues. In addition, application of NS-398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, mimicked the antineoplastic functions of POMC gene transfer in melanoma. The POMC-mediated COX-2 down-regulation was correlated with its inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) activities. Exogenous supply of alpha-MSH inhibited NFkappaB activities, whereas application of the alpha-MSH antagonist growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) abolished the POMC-induced inhibition of NFkappaB activities and melanoma growth in mice. In summary, POMC gene delivery suppresses melanoma via alpha-MSH-induced inhibition of NFkappaB/COX-2 pathway, thereby constituting a novel therapy for melanoma.
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PMID:Gene transfer of pro-opiomelanocortin prohormone suppressed the growth and metastasis of melanoma: involvement of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-mediated inhibition of the nuclear factor kappaB/cyclooxygenase-2 pathway. 1626 35

Red hair is one of the most striking variants of human hair coloration and has historically been of profound social importance. Red hair in man is due to certain loss of function mutations of one of the peptide products of the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene, the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R, MIM 155555). Such functional mutations enable the melanocyte to produce red-yellow pheomelanin in preference to the default, black-brown eumelanin. This paper reviews the path of discovery of the MC1R in control of animal coat colour, the subsequent role of MC1R in human physiology and possibly wider role of MC1R in human skin carcinogenesis and human development through history.
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PMID:Red hair--a desirable mutation? 1714 21


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