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)

The histogenesis of alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) has been investigated since its description. Twenty ASPS cases were analyzed for immunohistochemical content, with emphasis directed toward the paraganglial, Schwann cell, and muscle theories of histogenesis. In addition, the cases were examined for possible prognostic clinical features. The clinical characteristics of the patients were similar to those reported previously concerning average age (23 years); male:female ratio (1:1); and predominant primary site (lower extremity, nine cases). Despite a local recurrence rate of 20% and a metastatic rate of 68% (including four at presentation), the natural history was often indolent and relapse commonly occurred very late. The average follow-up period was 10.1 years. While the overall 5-year survival was 67%, only seven of 18 patients were alive without disease at last follow-up (1.7-32 years), and one patient died of tumor after a 28-year disease-free interval. Neither tumor size nor site appeared to affect prognosis. The tumors were analyzed immunohistochemically for neurofilament, S-100 protein, met-enkephalin, leu-enkephalin, acetylcholinesterase, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, Factor VIII-related antigen, serotonin, lysozyme, neuron-specific enolase, myoglobin, cytokeratins, desmin, and vimentin. Except for weak vimentin immunoreactivity, no other antigenic expression was detected despite multiple repeated experiments with several antibodies. S-100 protein which is present in virtually all granular cell tumors was absent in the cases of ASPS. The lack of detectable expression of neurofilament, met-enkephalin and leu-enkephalin, and neuron-specific enolase is interpreted as evidence against the paraganglial theory of histogenesis. Similarly, the repeated absence of the muscle proteins, desmin and myoglobin, in contrast to a previous report, is interpreted as evidence against a myogenic origin.
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PMID:Alveolar soft part sarcoma. A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study. 243 29

The material presented here summarizes the bulk of the presently available immunologic data bearing upon the in vivo relationship between brown adipose tissue and the immune system. The experiments were carried out in rats adipectomized (by surgical excision of the interscapular brown adipose tissue at birth), thymectomized (by neonatal removal of the thymus), adipectomized and thymectomized, and corresponding sham-operated controls. The following immune phenomena were studied: antibody production to soluble and corpuscular antigens; Arthus and delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions to bovine serum albumin; rejection of allogeneic skin and thyroid grafts; lymph node enlargement in a host-versus-graft reaction; experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and thyroiditis; immune response in normal animals treated with extracts from brown adipose tissue; allergic encephalomyelitis in thymoadipectomized animals; plaque-forming cell response and hemagglutinating antibody titers in animals injected with met-enkephalin and leu-enkephalin; and survival rate of adipectomized mice inoculated with Sarcoma-I cells. The results indicated that the cell-mediated immune reactions were potentiated in adipectomized rats. Antibody production was not significantly changed by neonatal adipectomy. Adipectomized mice, inoculated with Sa-I tumor cells, survived longer than controls, thus indicating that adipectomy made possible the recognition of discrete histocompatible differences between Sa-I cells and A/JAX mice. Adipectomy increased the ability of rats to develop autoimmune diseases. Saline extracts from brown adipose tissue of newborn rats suppressed hypersensitivity skin reactions in normal adult rats. Thymoadipectomized rats showed an almost normal ability to develop allergic encephalomyelitis, a finding that suggested that the potentiating influence of adipectomy on encephalomyelitis was neutralized by thymectomy. It appears that brown adipose tissue functions as a natural antagonist of the thymus. Enkephalins were found to be more effective immunosuppressors in adipectomized than in normal animals. The last finding establishes a functional link between brown adipose tissue and neuropeptides. It seems that the potentiation of immune response in adipectomized animals is effected by altered release of yet unidentified mediators and modulators. The evidence indicates that brown adipose tissue, in which neurohumoral activity occurs, may be an important component of an integrated immunoneuroendocrine system.
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PMID:Brown adipose tissue. Its in vivo immunology and involvement in neuroimmunomodulation. 330 Apr 71

Gazdar-murine sarcoma virus (Gz-MSV) particles, obtained from tissue culture fluids of chronically infected HTG-2 hamster cells are immature in morphology and contain uncleaved Pr65gag as the predominant protein (greater than 95% Coomassie blue stain) (A. Pinter and E. deHarven, 1979, Virology 99, 103-110; Y. Yoshinaka and R. B. Luftig, 1982, Virology 118, 380-388). When Gz-MSV particles are disrupted in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and then analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the absence of reducing agents, such as beta-mercaptoethanol (beta-MSH) almost half of the Pr65gag Coomassie blue-stained band is detected as a band at a Mr of 130K. Electrophoretic blotting studies with monospecific antisera against MuLV p30, p15, p12, and p10 showed that the 130K band cross-reacted with all four antigens suggesting that it was a dimer of Pr65gag. Two-dimensional (2D) SDS-PAGE where the first dimension was run under nonreducing conditions and the second with beta-MSH, supported the contention that the 130K band was a dimeric complex of Pr65gag. One also saw minor amounts of a 260K and higher polymeric forms of Pr65gag on the SDS gels, suggesting that polymeric forms may exist as well. When 32P-labeled Gz-MSV particles obtained by in vivo labeling of infected HTG-2 cells with [32P]PPi were electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE, only 10% of the 32P label was detected at the 130K position. In contrast, 30% of the Coomassie blue-stained Pr65gag material was found at 130K on the 2D gels. This suggests that unphosphorylated Pr65gag is more likely to participate in dimer formation than phosphorylated Pr65gag. Pr65gag of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV), which is present as a minor (5% of stain) protein band on SDS-PAGE also showed 130K dimers. Further, in beta-MSH-deficient SDS preparations of Gz-MSV, electrophoresed after trypsin treatment, a 32K band that stained with p15, but not p10, p12, nor p30, antisera was observed. If beta-MSH was added, this band was no longer present. Thus Pr65gag dimerization in immature MuLV particles appears to at least involve the p15 region of the polyprotein. Since p15 is an extremely hydrophobic protein, formation of Pr65gag dimers may occur when virion precursor proteins are brought to the cell membrane during virus assembly.
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PMID:Murine retrovirus Pr65gag forms a 130K dimer in the absence of disulfide reducing agents. 608 46

The characteristics of 7 human melanoma cell lines were compared with those of the xenografts from which they were established. The ultrastructure, melanin content, isozyme pattern and chromosome numbers of the cell lines were closely similar to those of the corresponding xenografts. The different cell lines gave rise to colonies in soft agar of size and morphology similar to the parent xenografts, and the plating efficiencies were clearly correlated. However, no correlation was found between the growth rates in vivo and either the doubling times and saturation densities in monolayer cultures or the plating efficiencies in soft agar. Moreover, one of the cell lines lost its tumorigenic ability upon establishment in culture. Thus, although the properties of the cell lines by and large reflected those of the parent xenografts, important inconsistencies were seen. The data emphasize that extrapolations from continuous cell lines in vitro to tumour cells in vivo are not necessarily valid. A high content of cellular fibronectin was correlated with a compact colony morphology in soft agar and rapid attachment and spreading on plastic. The growth rates and cellular morphology of the cell lines were strongly influenced by TPA, DMSO, retinoic acid and theophylline, but not by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. A murine cell line established from one of the xenografts grew in soft agar and produced sarcoma in mice. The malignant murine cells had arisen by transformation of murine stromal cells during the first subcultures in vitro, possibly caused by a factor produced by the human melanoma cells.
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PMID:Do cell lines in vitro reflect the properties of the tumours of origin? A study of lines derived from human melanoma xenografts. 732 90

Cancer pain impairs the quality of life of cancer patients, but opioid analgesics can not only cause inhibition of respiratory function, and constipation, but also other significant side effects such as addiction and tolerance that further decrease quality of life. Thus, in the present study, the effects of electro-acupuncture treatment (EA) on mechanical allodynia were examined in cancer pain mouse model. In order to induce neuropathic cancer pain model, S-180 sarcoma cells were inoculated around the sciatic nerve of left legs of Balb/c mice. The mass of S-180 cancer cells embedded around sciatic nerve in a time course was confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning. Mechanical allodynia was most consistently induced in mouse sarcoma cell line S-180 (2 x 10(6) sarcoma cells) treated group among all groups. EA stimulation (2Hz) was daily given to ST36 (Zusanli) of S-180 bearing mice for 30 min for 9 days after S-180 inoculation. EA treatment significantly prolonged paw withdrawal latency from 5 days after inoculation as well as shortened cumulative lifting duration from 7 days after inoculation compared with tumor control. In addition, the overexpressions of pain peptide substance P in dorsal horn of spinal cord were significantly decreased in EA treated group compared with tumor control on Day 9 after inoculation. Furthermore, EA treatment effectively increased the concentration of beta endorphin in blood and brain of mice more than tumor control as well as normal group. The concentration of beta-endorphin for EA treatment group increased by 51.457% in blood 12.6% in brain respectively, compared with tumor control group. These findings suggest that S-180 cancer pain model can be a consistent and short time animal model and also EA treatment can be an alternative therapeutic method for cancer pain via decreased substance P and increased beta endorphin.
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PMID:Substance P and beta endorphin mediate electroacupuncture induced analgesic activity in mouse cancer pain model. 1971 73