Urinary levels of urokinase‐type plasminogen activator and its receptor in the detection of bladder carcinoma

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that estrogen modulates brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein within the adult hippocampus and cortex. However, mechanisms underlying this regulation are unknown. Although an estrogen response element (ERE)‐like sequence has been identified within the BDNF gene, such a classical mechanism of estrogen‐induced transcriptional activation requires the colocalized expression of estrogen receptors within cells that produce BDNF. Developmental studies have demonstrated such a relationship, but to date no studies have examined colocalization of estrogen receptors and BDNF within the adult brain. By utilizing double‐label immunohistochemistry for BDNF, estrogen receptor‐α (ER‐α), and estrogen receptor‐β (ER‐β), we found only sparse colocalization between ER‐α and BDNF in the hypothalamus, amygdala, prelimbic cortex, and ventral hippocampus. Furthermore, ER‐β and BDNF do not colocalize in any brain region. Given the recent finding that cortical ER‐β is almost exclusively localized to parvalbumin‐immunoreactive GABAergic neurons, we performed BDNF/parvalbumin double labeling and discovered that axons from cortical ER‐β‐expressing inhibitory neurons terminate on BDNF‐immunoreactive pyramidal cells. Collectively, these findings support a potential transsynaptic relationship between estrogen state and cortical BDNF: By directly modulating GABAergic interneurons, estrogen may indirectly influence the activity and expression of BDNF‐producing cortical neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 468:347–360, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Detailed Technical Analysis of Urine RNA-Based Tumor Diagnostics Reveals ETS2/Urokinase Plasminogen Activator to Be a Novel Marker for Bladder Cancer

“…The role of the uPA system in tumorigenesis has been intensively studied (27 ). In bladder cancer, urinary protein concentrations of uPA [e.g., (28 )] as well as the uPA mRNA content in tissue [e.g., (29 )], have been suitable for tumor diagnostics. The experimental data of our study population indicate a higher ETS2 RNA concentration compared with uPA in the case of bladder cancer, resulting in an increased ETS2:uPA RNA ratio.…”

Utility of Serum and Urine uPAR Levels for Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

“…There are some studies investigating urine uPAR levels in bladder cancer and various types of cancer (Casella et al, 2002;Ecke et al, 2005). However, we could not find any report on the measurement of urine uPAR levels in breast cancer.…”

Sniffing out social signals

“…However, no olfactory subsystem dedicated to the identification of pathogens, or pathogenic states, has yet been identified in mammals [45]. Since FPR-rs agonists are found in bodily secretions at various stages of diseases [8], our results could provide the link to understand how animals identify pathogens or unhealthy potential partners.…”