Levels Of Plasminogen Activator Activity Research Articles

Plasminogen activator activity in tears of pregnant women.

PurposePlasminogen activator activity (PAA) in tears of pregnant women was investigated at various gestation times to assess the availability of plasminogen activator for aiding potential corneal wound healing processes during pregnancy.MethodsPAA was measured by a spectrophotometric method. The analysis used 91 tear samples from pregnant and non-pregnant women, supplemented with 10 additional tear PAA measurements from non-pregnant women obtained in a previous study.ResultsTear levels of PAA in pregnant women formed a bimodal distribution. Either the tear PAA level was zero or non-zero during pregnancy. When non-zero, the tear PAA level was dissociated from gestation time and not different than non-pregnant and post-pregnant levels. The frequency of occurrence of zero level tear PAA increased with gestation: 16%, 17% and 46% had zero tear PAA in samples taken from women in the first, second and third trimester, respectively.ConclusionsOverall, of the tear samples taken from women during pregnancy, a total of 26% were at zero tear PAA. The remaining tear samples had non-zero tear PAA values throughout gestation equivalent to non-pregnant tear PAA values, suggesting local control of the source of PAA in tears. Given the importance of the plasminogen activator system in tears to wound healing in the cornea, and the high occurrence of zero tear PAA in our sample of pregnant women, elective corneal surgery would be contraindicated. If corneal surgery is nevertheless necessary, the tear PAA level would be worth checking and patients with low level should be closely observed during the postoperative period.

Plasmin–plasminogen system and milk coagulation properties of two Greek dairy sheep breeds

The enzymatic activities of plasmin (PL), plasminogen-derived (PG) and plasminogen activator (PA) and their correlation with the milk coagulation properties and major milk components were studied in two Greek sheep breeds during their whole lactation. Individual milk samples were collected at 3-week intervals from 14 Karagouniko and 14 Chios sheep breed. The enzymatic activities of PL, PG and PA were measured by colorimetric assay. The milk coagulation properties (rCT rennet clotting time, K20 curd firming time, A30 final curd consistency) were determined with a Formagraph. The results showed that PL, PG and PA activities and rennet clotting time (rCT) did not differ between the two breeds. However, K20 and A30 differed significantly between Karagouniko and Chios milk. The stage of lactation (early, mid or late) significantly affected PL, PG and PA activities. PL and PA activity levels were lower during late lactation (after the 150 days of the lactation period) compared to the corresponding levels during early and mid lactation, while a significant reduction of PG activity was observed from mid to late lactation stage. Lactation stage also significantly affected milk coagulation traits: A decrease in rCT occurred at mid lactation (from 100 to 150 days) while K20 increased from the early to the mid stage of lactation. The activities of PL and PA were significantly affected by the health status of the udder; milk with >300,000 SCC had 51% higher activity of PL and 86% higher activity of PA than milk containing <300,000 SCC. PG activity was 12% lower in milk with low SCC in comparison with milk with high SCC, but the results were not statistically significant. The coagulation properties of milk were not affected by SCC. A weak significant correlation exists between plasmin, PL+PG and K20.

Nebulized fibrinolytic agents improve pulmonary fibrinolysis but not inflammation in rat models of direct and indirect acute lung injury.

BackgroundCritically ill patients frequently develop acute lung injury (ALI). Disturbed alveolar fibrin turnover, a characteristic feature of ALI, is the result of both activation of coagulation and inhibition of fibrinolysis. Nebulized fibrinolytic agents could exert lung–protective effects, via promotion of fibrinolysis as well as anti–inflammation.MethodsRats were challenged intratracheally with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resulting in pneumonia as a model for direct ALI, or received an intravenous bolus infusion of lipopolysaccharide, as a model for indirect ALI. Rats were randomized to nebulization of normal saline (placebo), recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), or monoclonal antibodies against plasminogen activator inhibitor–type 1 (anti–PAI–1).ResultsNebulized rtPA or anti–PA1–1 enhanced the bronchoalveolar fibrinolytic system, as reflected by a significant reduction of PAI–1 activity levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and a consequent increase in plasminogen activator activity (PAA) levels to supranormal values. Both treatments also significantly affected systemic fibrinolysis as reflected by a significant increase in PAA levels in plasma to supranormal levels. Neither nebulized rtPA nor anti–PA1–1 affected pulmonary inflammation. Neither treatment affected bacterial clearance of P. aeruginosa from the lungs in case of pneumonia.ConclusionsLocal treatment with rtPA or anti–PA1–1 affects pulmonary fibrinolysis but not inflammation in models of direct or indirect ALI in rats.

46 PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR ACTIVITY IN BUFFALO IN VITRO MATURED OOCYTES AFTER VITRIFICATION-WARMING

Plasminogen activators (PA) are proteolytic enzymes that convert plasminogen into plasmin. Plasmin is involved in physiological processes such as ovulation (Liu 2004 Front. Biosci. 9, 3356–3373), cumulus cell layer expansion (Liu et al. 1986 Endocrinology 119, 1578–1587), oocyte maturation (Dow et al. 2002 Biol. Reprod. 66, 1413–1421) and fertilization (Huarte et al. 1993 Dev. Biol. 157, 539–546). Although the interest is increasing, buffalo oocyte cryopreservation is still inefficient, especially in terms of blastocyst development after IVF. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether exposure to cryoprotectants and the vitrification procedure affect plasminogen activator activity (PAA) in buffalo in vitro-matured oocytes. A total number of 300 cumulus-oocyte complexes over 5 replicates were selected and in vitro-matured. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were mechanically stripped of their cumulus cells by gentle pipetting, washed and divided into 3 groups (20 oocytes/group, over 5 replicates). The control group consisted of fresh in vitro-matured oocytes. In the vitrification group, denuded oocytes were first exposed to 10% ethylene glycol (EG) + 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 3 min, then to 20% EG + 20% DMSO and 0.5 M sucrose, loaded on cryotops and plunged into liquid nitrogen within 25 s. Subsequently, oocytes were warmed in a 1.25 M sucrose solution for 1 min and then in decreasing concentrations of sucrose (0.625 M, 0.42 M and 0.31 M) for 30 s each. In order to test cryoprotectant effects, oocytes were simply exposed to the vitrification and warming solutions (toxicity group). Surviving oocytes were extracted by a fine needle, centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 10 min and the supernatant was mixed with the reaction solution: TRIS-HCl 0.1 M, homologous plasminogen, the chromogenic substrate for plasmin S-2251 and incubated at 37°C for 30 min. The PAA levels were measured by a spectrophotometer (405 nm) expressed as Abs/20 oocytes. The data were analysed by the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. Low levels of PAA were detected in the denuded oocytes of the control, toxicity and vitrification groups. No significant differences in mean PAA values were observed among the 3 experimental groups (0.017 ± 0.001, 0.018 ± 0.002 and 0.017 ± 0.001 units, in the control, toxicity and vitrification groups, respectively). In conclusion, cryoprotectants and the vitrification procedure do not affect the proteolytic activity linked to plasmin in in vitro-matured buffalo oocytes. The results show that the vitrification/warming procedure does not exert an effect on in vitro-matured buffalo oocytes in terms of PAA generation, a parameter that plays an important role in fertilization and in vitro embryo development. Further studies are needed to identify factors affecting the efficiency of oocyte cryopreservation.

Plasminogen activator activity and inhibition in rabbit tears after photorefractive keratectomy

Plasminogen activator is a normal component of tear fluid that plays a role in corneal wound healing processes. This work examines whether inhibitor-induced low levels of plasminogen activator activity (PAA) during corneal re-epithelialization after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) correlates with the eventual occurrence of haze in rabbit eyes. Tear samples were collected with glass capillaries from 16 eyes of eight New Zealand rabbits, using i.m. injection of pilocarpine hydrochloride for stimulation. Tears were collected before and after PRK surgery, and then daily for 5 days, and every fourth day thereafter for 3 months. Both eyes underwent PRK treatment. One eye of each rabbit was treated as a control while the contralateral eye was treated with aprotinin, a serine protease inhibitor, over the first 7 days. PAA in the tear samples was measured by a spectrophotometric method using human plasminogen and chromogenic peptide substrate S-2251. For the eight control eyes after PRK, the PAA values were significantly lower (day 1) and higher (days 2 and 3) than the equilibrium PAA ( p<0·001). The corneas remained clear in each of these control eyes. For the eight contralateral aprotinin-treated eyes after PRK, the PAA values on days 1–7 were significantly lower than the equilibrium PAA (p<0·001). All eight of these aprotinin-treated eyes developed corneal haze after 2 months. There was no significant difference ( p=0·06) between control and aprotinin-treated eyes for the equilibrium PAA after 19 days. We conclude that a corneal wound healing abnormality (haze) develops in rabbit eyes after PRK when PAA levels are reduced using aprotinin for a week following PRK.

Enhancement of plasminogen activator activity stimulated by LPS in gingival fibroblasts of individuals with down syndrome.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a high prevalence of periodontal disease, which develops early and progressed rapidly and extensively, in comparison with healthy controls. The severe periodontal disease in individuals with DS has been considered to result from abnormal factors in their host responses. The mechanisms involved in the periodontal inflammatory processes in individuals with DS are not fully understood. Plasminogen activators (PA) are serine proteases that are well known for their part in the initiation of the fibrinolytic cascade leading to the generation of plasmin in periodontal homeostasis, including fibrinolysis and connective tissue remodeling. The PA-plasmin system affects the progression of periodontal disease. In the present study, we examined the effects of the levels of PA activity stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the gingival fibroblasts from donors with DS (DGF). The levels of PA activity without LPS were low in the DGFs, the same as that in the gingival fibroblasts from donors of healthy controls (NDGF). In contrast, the levels of PA activity with LPS in DGFs were significantly higher than that in the NDGFs. These results suggested that PA plays an important role in inducing extensive and rapid inflammation in the periodontal disease in individuals with DS.

Effects of epidermal growth factor and interleukin-1alpha on plasminogen activator secretion and decidualization in rat endometrial stromal cells.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases decidualization and net plasminogen activator (PA) activity in the medium of cultured endometrial stromal cells from ovariectomized rats sensitized for the decidual cell reaction. Because interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulate PGE2 production by these cells, the present study determined their effects on decidualization and on the levels of PA activity in the medium. Cells were treated with or without IL-1alpha (20 ng/ml) and EGF (40 ng/ml) for up to 72 h, and net PA activity in the medium and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (a marker for decidualization) in the cells were measured. After 48 and 72 h of treatment with IL-1alpha, net PA activity levels decreased by 60% and 85%, respectively. EGF significantly increased net PA activity at 24, 48, and 72 h. ALP activity in the cells at 24, 48, and 72 h increased in response to IL-1alpha but not EGF. These results indicate that IL-1alpha, but not EGF, enhances decidualization of the cells as indicated by ALP activity. Moreover, they suggest that net PA activity in the medium is not a useful marker of decidualization.

Effects of retinoic acid, auranofin and mercuric chloride on plasminogen activator activity in post-implantation cultured mouse embryos

Plasminogen activator (PA) activity has been suggested to be an important determinant of cell migration and tissue modelling during organogenesis. We have postulated that in the developing embryo, any abnormal modulation of this enzymatic activity may lead to the production of teratogenic effects. In the present study, we investigated the effect of teratogenic doses (inducing about 50% of malformed embryos) of retinoic acid, auranofin and mercuric chloride on PA activity in post-implantation cultured mouse embryos. At the end of the culture period, PA activities of malformed and normal embryos in the same treatment group were compared. PA activities in compound-exposed embryos were also compared with those in untreated controls. The design of the present experiment allowed the identification of the effect of drugs on PA activity and its possible relation with induced malformations. An increased PA activity was observed in malformed embryos treated with mercuric chloride. PA activity was slightly increased in both groups (normal and malformed) exposed to retinoic acid. No effect of auranofin was observed on embryo PA activity. In conclusion, the data do not confirm but they also do not contradict the hypothesis that abnormal levels of PA activity lead to dysmorphogenesis.

Effect of mastitis on plasminogen activator activity of milk somatic cells.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of mastitis and stage of lactation on plasminogen activator (PA) activity in milk somatic cells. An assay system, which measures the plasmin-mediated hydrolysis of the chromogenic substrate D-valyl-leucyl-lysine p-nitroanilide, was used to assess PA activity present within milk somatic cells. Milk cell associated PA activity was increased (P < 0.05) by 50% in the presence of fibrin fragments. This suggests that milk somatic cells contain tissue PA which, unlike urokinase PA, is preferentially activated in the presence of fibrin fragments. An increase of the milk somatic cell count from < 5 x 10(4) to > 10(6) cells/ml resulted in an 8-fold increase in PA activity per cell. Elevated levels of PA activity were associated with milk somatic cells isolated from mastitic quarters obtained from cows in early (< 4 months in lactation) or late lactation (> 8 months in lactation). We conclude that PA activity is increased during severe mastitic inflammation. Although the physiological function of this enzyme is as yet unclear, we propose that it may be involved in the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, contributing to the higher levels of plasmin occurring in milk isolated from mastitic quarters.

Basic fibroblast growth factor-induced activation of latent transforming growth factor beta in endothelial cells: regulation of plasminogen activator activity.

Exposure of bovine aortic or capillary endothelial cells to basic FGF (bFGF) for 1 h resulted in an approximately sixfold increase in plasminogen activator (PA) activity by 18 h that returned nearly to basal levels by 36 h. We hypothesized that the decrease in PA activity following bFGF stimulation was mediated by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) formed from its inactive precursor. Conditioned medium collected from endothelial cells 36 h after a 1-h exposure to bFGF, but not control medium, inhibited basal levels of PA activity when transferred to confluent monolayers of bovine aortic endothelial cells. Antibody to TGF-beta neutralized the inhibitory activity of this conditioned medium, indicating that the medium contained active TGF-beta. Northern blot analysis and quantitation of acid activatable latent TGF-beta in conditioned medium demonstrated that bFGF exposure did not increase the amount of transcription or secretion of latent TGF-beta by the endothelial cells. Both aprotinin, an inhibitor of plasmin, and anti-urokinase type PA IgG blocked the generation of active TGF-beta in cultures exposed to bFGF. These results demonstrated that plasmin generated by uPA activity is required for the activation of latent TGF-beta in endothelial cell cultures treated with bFGF. Activation of TGF-beta by endothelial cells exposed to bFGF appears to limit both the degree and duration of PA stimulation. Thus, in bFGF-stimulated endothelial cell cultures, PA levels are controlled by a negative feedback loop: PA, whose expression is stimulated by bFGF, contributes to the formation of TGF-beta, which in turn opposes the effects of bFGF by limiting PA synthesis and activity. These studies suggest a role for TGF-beta in reversing the invasive stage of angiogenesis and contributing to the formation of quiescent capillaries.

Plasminogen activator activity and thymidine incorporation in avian granulosa cells during follicular development and the periovulatory period.

The hormonal and second messenger regulation of plasminogen activator (PA) activities in avian granulosa and theca cells has been documented. However, the physiological role(s) of PAs in the avian ovary remains poorly understood. The present studies were designed to evaluate PA activity in hen granulosa cells collected from the most mature (F1) preovulatory follicle at three discrete time points relative to a spontaneous ovulation and from follicles collected at various stages of follicular development. Levels of PA activity in the granulosa layer of the F1 follicle declined by greater than 90% as follicles were collected closer to their anticipated time of ovulation (e.g., from 17-16 h to 0.75-0.15 h; p less than 0.05). Timing of tissue collection was confirmed by evaluation of serum progesterone levels, which peaked as expected at the 6-5-h time point. During follicular development, PA activity was several times greater in rapidly growing follicles (6-12 mm, 1-3 wk prior to ovulation) than in slowly growing (1-5 mm) or preovulatory (F3 and F1) follicles (p less than 0.05). Granulosa cells of these rapidly growing follicles also incorporated significantly higher levels of 3H-thymidine than did granulosa cells of mature follicles (p less than 0.05), suggesting a higher level of DNA synthesis. Similarly, granulosa cells of the mitotically active germinal disc region of the F1 granulosa layer were found to possess at least 3-fold higher (p less than 0.05) levels of PA activity and a 2-fold greater level of 3H-thymidine incorporation than the more mature granulosa cells isolated from the remaining F1 granulosa layer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Changes in Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 and Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator during Exercise in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

As depressed fibrinolysis is implicated in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease, we have studied the activation of fibrinolysis during maximal, symptom-limited exercise in a group of 68 men. After exercise they were divided, according to their coronary angiography and exercise 201Tl emission computed tomography results, into three groups. Group 1: persons with normal exercise 201Tl emission computed tomography results and no underlying diseases who served as controls; group 2: patients with coronary artery disease without exercise-induced myocardial ischemia, and group 3: patients with coronary artery disease with transient, exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. Before and at peak exercise we measured the plasminogen activator activity (PAA) in the euglobulin fraction of plasma by an amidolytic method and the concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), activator-inhibitor complex - plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) complexed with t-PA - and total PAI-1 by enzyme immunoassay. The concentration of free PAI-1 in plasma was calculated by subtraction of the concentration of activator-inhibitor complex from that of total PAI-1. Under basal conditions, group 3 had significantly higher free and total PAI-1 levels than group 1. There were no statistically significant differences between the three groups in PAA, t-PA, and activator-inhibitor complex levels. At peak exercise, group 1 showed the highest release of t-PA accompanied with highest increases in PAA as well as in activator-inhibitor complex, the proportion of released t-PA antigen not bound to PAI-1 being highest in group 1. Free PAI-1 decreased significantly, but there were no differences between individual groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Developmental transition in plasticity properties of differentiating astrocytes: Age‐related biochemical profile of plasminogen activators in astroglial cultures

Plasminogen activator (PA) is a key enzyme in control of the cascade of extracellular proteolytic activities, proteases that degrade the extracellular components. Mammalian cells produce two molecular forms of PA, the urokinase type (u-PA) and the tissue type (t-PA); the u-PA type enzyme regulates cell migration/invasion and related tissue plasticity events. Thus, these plasticity properties of cells are defined by their PAs' biochemical profiles. The capacity of the differentiating glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) to express and regulate the two types of PA activities has been examined as a function of cell age in culture. Results of the study suggest that only the immature astrocyte is endowed with these plasticity properties. Differentiating heterogeneous rat glial cells in culture express PA activity. Astroglia were identified as the primary source for the glial PA activity, as no PA activity was detected in the purified oligodendroglia. Cellular PA activity levels of differentiating rat and mouse astroglia are developmentally regulated. The specific activity of PA reached its highest level in rat astroglia at a cell age corresponding to 20-32 postnatal days (P20-P32) and in mouse astroglia at P8-P14; thereafter, this declined (three- to fourfold decrease) within 2 weeks to a low value. At comparable ages (P0-P35), the magnitudes of the PA specific activities of the differentiating rat astroglia and of the developing cerebrum, the tissue from which these cells were purified, were similar. Differentiating rat astroglia produce u-PA and t-PA, the cellular content of both is developmentally regulated, and the u-PA form is only found in the immature cells. u-PA is the predominant form in the immature astrocyte until age P13. Both forms are found in cells at ages P14-P30, and at later stages u-PA disappears while the t-PA type persists as the sole form. After 3 more weeks neither of the PA types was detected. Astroglia express also PA inhibitory activity; the rat astroglial PA inhibitor (PAI) seemed to be identical to PAI-1, one of the known types of PAIs. Stimulation of astroglial proliferation by their subculturing in contrast to Schwann cells did not lead to an increase; rather, beyond a certain cell age (P13) it resulted in a threefold irreversible decline in the PA specific activity of the daughter cells. It has been established that various biochemical properties of CNS mature glia appear on schedule with cell age in culture, thus defining "mature"glia in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Plasminogen activator inhibitor in plasma is related to testosterone in men

Low plasma testosterone and high levels of the rapid inhibitor of plasminogen activator (PA-I) have been proposed as risk factors for myocardial infarction. In this study, the relationship between testosterone and PA-I activity levels in middle-aged men without thrombotic antecedent was investigated. In 54 normogonadic men (testosterone, 7.3 to 29.1 nmol/L), PA-I was related positively to body mass index (BMI) and triglycerides and negatively to testosterone. When these variables were controlled, the relation between PA-I and testosterone remained significant ( P < .01). In the 41 normogonadic men with BMI <25, testosterone was the only variable to influence PA-I. Fibrinolytic activity was evaluated by the euglobulin lysis plate method and the specific measurement of functional tissue plasminogen activator. The basal fibrinolytic activity and the response to venous occlusion were essentially controlled by PA-I but were not significantly related to testosterone. In 17 men with severe hypogonadotrophinic hypogonadism (testosterone < 3 nmol/L), PA-I was significantly increased (18.5 ± 1.8 AU/mL, mean ± SE) compared with 9.5 ± 0.8 AU/mL in 41 normogonadic men of normal weight ( P < .001). However, 14 hypogonadic men had a hypertriglyceridemia or a BMI > 25, which could explain high PA-I levels. This study shows that the level of the inhibitor of plasminogen activator is partly dependent on hormonal status in men and provides a link between independently established epidemiologic data.

Recombinant human interleukin-1 stimulates human articular cartilage to undergo resorption and human chondrocytes to produce both tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activator

Cytokines capable of stimulating cartilage resorption have frequently been identified as ‘interleukin-1 (IL-1)-like’ peptides. In this study for the first time we have employed homogeneous recombinant IL-1α and and IL-1β in an all-human culture system to define the effects of IL-1 on articular cartilage and chondrocytes in culture. Recombinant IL-1 (10–100 U/ml) could stimulate cartilage resorption, although the maximum degree of tissue breakdown rarely reached the levels obtained when cartilage was treated with crude mononuclear-cell conditioned medium or all- trans retinoic acid (1 μM) over a similar time course. Levels of plasminogen activator (PA) activity, a neutral proteinase which may contribute to cartilage destruction in arthritis, increased markedly in the cartilage/chondrocyte culture supernatants and in the chondrocyte cell layers in response to the stimulation of cultures with recombinant IL-1 (1–100 U/ml). Elevated levels of PA activity were detectable after 4–8 h stimulation of the chondrocytes with IL-1 while characterization of the PA activities indicated that both types of PA activity were expressed, viz. urokinase-type PA (u-PA) and tissue-type PA (t-PA). Both IL-1α and IL-1β could elicit these responses and their effects were comparable for a given dose. These studies show definitively that pure IL-1, free from contaminating cytokines, is capable of inducing human cartilage resorption and stimulating the expression of two types of PA activity by chondrocytes. In contrast to IL-1, retinoic acid increased the detectable levels of only u-PA in the chondrocyte cell layers. Chondrocyte u-PA may have an important role in cartilage degradative processes since it is one of the few neutral proteinases now known to be increased in activity in retinoid-stimulated cartilage.

Macrophages associated with murine tumours express plasminogen activator activity.

The fibrinolytic activity of cancer cells has been repeatedly implicated in mechanisms of local spread and tumour invasiveness. Mononuclear phagocytes associated with solid tumours might also contribute to fibrin dissolution at the tumour/host interface through the expression of plasminogen activator (PA) activity. We have investigated the PA activity of tumour-associated macrophages (TAM) from 4 transplanted murine tumours in syngeneic hosts; peritoneal macrophages (native and thioglycolate-elicited) from both tumour-bearing and control animals were studied as reference cells. TAM from 3 tumours (MSV, mFS6, MN/MCAI) had basal levels of PA activity (20% plasminogen-independent) comparable to or higher than those of thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from the same tumour-bearing animals. TAM isolated from 1 tumour (MS2) had a PA which was very low (60% plasminogen-independent), but higher than the activity of unstimulated peritoneal macrophages. Molecular analysis of PA by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and fibrin autography revealed in all macrophages a single species having an apparent MW of 48 kDA. It thus appears that, in some experimental neoplasms, tumour cell vicinity may represent an in vivo stimulus for macrophage PA expression.

Plasminogen activators in human breast cancer cell lines: Hormonal regulation and properties

To understand the hormonal regulation of plasminogen activators (PAs) in human breast cancer, we have examined the hormonal regulation and properties of PAs in four human breast cancer cell lines that differ markedly in their estrogen receptor (ER) content: MCF-7 cells contain high levels of ER (approx 7 pmol/mg DNA) and their PA activity was increased 3–4-fold by physiological concentrations of estradiol; T47-D and ZR-75-1 cells contain lower levels of ER (0.9 and 2.1 pmol/mg DNA respectively) and their PA activity was also increased 3–4-fold by estradiol. In contrast, MDA-MB-231 cells, which do not contain ER, showed a high level of PA activity that was not modulated by estradiol. SDS-PAGE followed by zymography indicated that MCF-7 cells secreted tissue-type PA (t-PA), T47-D and ZR-75-1 cells secreted urokinase-type PA (u-PA), and MDA-MB-231 cells secreted both types of PAs. The types of PAs secreted by these cell lines did not change upon treatment with estradiol. Dose-response curves for the stimulation of MCF-7 PA activity by different estrogens showed an excellent correlation between affinities of the estrogens for ER and their potency in stimulating PA activity. With a clonal subline of MCF-7 cells, MCF-L, a soluble inhibitor of both t-PA and u-PA was secreted. Incubation of purified t-PA or u-PA with the serum-free conditioned medium from MCF-L cells resulted in a shift in the mobility of t-PA and u-PA in SDS-polyacrylamide gels to forms increased in molecular mass by about 50,000–70,000. The shifts in molecular mass could be prevented by the presence of the competitive inhibitor p-aminobenzamidine, indicating that the active sites of the PAs were involved in the formation of these complexes. Furthermore, co-cultivation, of RT4-D rat neuroblastoma cells, which exhibit high levels of t-PA activity, with MCF-L cells resulted in a marked decrease in the PA activity of the RT4-D cells. Our results were consistent with the following conclusions: t-PA, u-PA or both were secreted by human breast cancer cells. In the ER-containing cell lines, depending upon the specific cell line, t-PA or u-PA was stimulated by estrogens. The unstimulated levels of PA activity and the magnitude of PA stimulation by estrogens were not closely related to ER content. However, the correlation between stimulation of PA activity by estrogen and the presence of ER in human breast cancer cells suggests that stimulation of PA activity may be a good marker for estrogenic activity, reflecting a functional receptor system capable of mediating estrogen action, and that an assay for stimulation of PA activity would better measure hormone responsiveness and be more predictive of the benefit of endocrine therapy than would be an assay of absolute levels of PA activity.

Hormonal and immunological characterization of the cell-associated plasminogen activators produced by cultured rat granulosa cells.

The hormonal induction and immunological reactivities of the cell-associated plasminogen activators (PAs) produced by granulosa cells obtained from the ovaries of diethylstilbestrol-implanted immature rats were studied. FSH and other cAMP-inducing ligands, including cholera toxin, forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP, elevated the PA activity of granulosa cells in a concentration-dependent manner during a 4-h culture, with an approximate 10-fold maximal increase in PA activity compared to control cells. Negligible levels of PA activity were observed in the extracellular medium in the absence or presence of hormones. The PA induced by FSH or cAMP in intact cells was progressively neutralized during the 4-h culture by increasing amounts of antibodies to the tissue-type PA (tPA), but not by an IgG fraction against the urokinase-type PA (UK-PA). However, solubilization of granulosa cells with Triton X-100 revealed the presence of intracellular UK-PA activity in both FSH-treated and control cells that consisted of about 20% of the total cellular PA activity. Electrophoretic analysis of extracts from solubilized granulosa cells indicated the presence of three peaks of PA activity. A PA with a Mr of 70,000 was induced by FSH, was completely inactivated by tPA antibodies, and required fibrin for full activity. A 40,000 Mr fibrin-independent PA was also stimulated by FSH and was partially inhibited by UK-PA antibodies, but not by anti-tPA immunoglobulin G. A third peak of PA activity comigrated with a human UK-PA standard at a Mr of 33,000, was fully neutralized by UK-PA antibodies, and was largely present only in control cells. These results suggest that during the first hours of granulosa cell development, FSH via cAMP induces the production of a cell-surface tPA, while both FSH-treated and control cells synthesize intracellular UK-PAs. Hormonal regulation of the production and activities of these cellular enzymes may allow the expression of specific differentiated functions of developing granulosa cells.

Endogenous plasminogen activator and venous flow: therapeutic implications.

This study is concerned with the changes in endogenous plasminogen activator (PA), in response to the augmentation of venous blood flow by external pneumatic compression (EPC). EPC was applied to the left leg in ten patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia. Two-ml samples of venous blood were obtained from the left and right femoral veins and an arm vein at baseline (induction), and then at 30 and 60 min of compression. Ninety samples were analyzed in duplicate in a single blind technique, using an assay specific for PA activity. In the control right arm and leg, PA activity levels increased at 30 min (106% and 110% of baseline, respectively), and then declined to baseline levels by 60 min. These changes did not reach statistical significance. In the leg undergoing compression, however, PA activity decreased progressively, reaching 75% of baseline at 60 min (significant at both 30 [p less than .001] and 60 min [p less than .01] as compared to baseline). In vitro, PA activity varies directly with the concentration of fibrin. The progressive decline in activity in this study may, therefore, represent a decline in substrate (molecular fibrin), as a result of increased venous blood flow. Alterations in the activity of the endothelial cell, as observed, may lead to new approaches in the prophylaxis against thromboembolism.

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The characterization and quantitation of plasminogen activators (PAs) expressed by human colon carcinoma cell lines and primary colon carcinomas inoculated into nude outbred (nu/nu) mice, either as subcutaneous or gut-implanted (GI) xenografts, were discussed. The two colon carcinoma cell lines used in this study, Col 112 (moderately differentiated) and Col 115 (poorly differentiated), differ in their PA expression, the former being a urinary-type PA and the latter being a tissue-type PA producer. Both cell lines demonstrate a positive correlation between tumor invasiveness and measured PA activity; subcutaneous xenografts growing as noninvasive pseudobenign tumor masses were associated with low levels of PA activity, whereas GI xenografts exhibiting invasive growth expressed higher PA activity. Furthermore, coinoculation of Col 115 tumor cells sc and GI in the same host induced high levels of PA activity in subcutaneous xenografts, suggesting a stimulatory effect of the GI xenograft on subcutaneous xenograft PA expression. Also, purified murine plasminogen was demonstrated to represent an efficient substrate for tumor-secreted human PA.