The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), its receptor (uPAR), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) are key components of the fibrinolytic system and are expressed by lung epithelial cells. uPA, uPAR, and PAI-1 have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) and pulmonary fibrosis. Recently, it has become clear that regulation of uPA, uPAR, and PAI-1 ...

Overexpression of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) has been well documented in a wide variety of tumor cells. In breast cancer, expression of uPA/uPAR is essential for tumor cell invasion and metastasis. However, the mechanism responsible for uPA/uPAR expression in cancer cells remains unclear. In the studies reported here, we show that endogenous p38 MAPK activity ...

We have carried out enzymatic, immunofluorescence, and surface iodination studies which show that B16 melanoma cells express the single chain form of the urokinase type plasminogenactivator (uPA) on their cell surface,and that these cells are capableof plasminogen-dependent fibronectin degradation. The significance of the expression of surface single-chainuPA and uPA activity to the metastatic ...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its cell surface receptor (uPAR) have been shown to be expressed in macrophages in atherosclerotic arterial walls, but the regulatory mechanisms of their expression remain unclear. The present study was performed to examine the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), an important atherogenic lipid, on the expression of uPA and uPAR in human mo...

The past 10 years have witnessed an increased interest in the plasminogen activation system and its potential role(s) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two types of plasminogen activators (PAs), urokinase (uPA) and tissue type PA (tPA), which are structurally, immunologically, and genetically distinct, have been identified in mammals. Both PAs are secreted as a single chain protein, which in the ca...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of two alternative treatment options for uterine fibroids, ulipristal acetate (UPA) and uterine artery embolization (UAE), on fibroid volume and vascularity at 3-month follow-up. METHODS Premenopausal patients with symptomatic, intramural uterine fibroids were included in this prospective case-control study. Seventeen patients who qualified for preoperative UP...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is associated with cancer recurrence where the most evidence comes from studies in breast cancer. According to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, uPA is considered one of the most prominent biomarkers for cancer recurrence and therefore new agents are needed to inhibit it. Whether uPA is also expressed in pediatric cancers ...

Cocaine and many other psychostimulants strongly induce urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) expression in the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, which plays a major role in drug-mediated behavioral plasticity [Bahi A, Boyer F, Gumy C, Kafri T, Dreyer JL. In vivo gene delivery of urokinase-type plasminogen activator with regulatable lentivirus induces behavioral changes in chronic cocaine a...

The past 10 years have witnessed an increased interest in the plasminogen activation system and its potential role(s) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two types of plasminogen activators (PAs), urokinase (uPA) and tissue type PA (tPA), which are structurally, immunologically, and genetically distinct, have been identified in mammals. Both PAs are secreted as a single chain protein, which in the ca...

Induction of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) by retinoic acid (RA) is the initial event preceding certain subsequent biological changes in vascular endothelial cells. We investigated the molecular mechanism by which RA stimulates the expression of uPA, which lacks a canonical RA receptor (RAR)-responsive element, in bovine and human aortic endothelial cells. Upon stimulation with RA, mRNA...