Bombesin-like peptides are found in many different human tumors and are thought to function as an autocrine growth factor for small cell lung cancer in humans. In this study, a human small cell lung carcinoma (NCI-H69) was s.c. implanted bilaterally into the flanks of 12 nude mice. The mice were randomized and divided into two groups and given either bombesin (20 micrograms/kg) or saline i.p. 3...

The small GTP-binding proteins, rho and rac, control signal transduction pathways that link growth factor receptors to the activation of actin polymerization. In Swiss 3T3 cells, rho proteins mediate the lysophosphatidic acid and bombesin-induced formation of focal adhesions and actin stress fibres, whilst rac proteins are required for the platelet-derived growth factor-, insulin-, bombesin- an...

We undertook this study to determine whether patients with late-onset hypogammaglobulinemia, who are at very high risk for gastric cancer, have a reduced secretion of gastrin after stimulation with food or bombesin, a potent gastrin-releasing stimulus. We compared the plasma gastrin responses to bombesin and to a standard test meal in 18 patients with late-onset hypogammaglobulinemia with those...

We examined the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase activation in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonist-induced mitogenesis in Swiss 3T3 and Rat-1 cells. Addition of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g., tyrphostin AG-1478) abrogated bombesin-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation in Rat-1 cells but not in Swiss 3T3 cells, indicatin...

BACKGROUND The diagnostic gold standard for neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI) is demonstration of increased numbers of neuroendocrine cells (NECs) amid otherwise near-normal lung histology. Typical clinical and radiographic features often are present. However, NECs are also increased after lung injury and in other disorders, which can complicate biopsy specimen interpretation an...

The experiments presented here were designed to examine the contribution of p125 focal adhesion kinase (p125FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation to the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade induced by bombesin, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in Swiss 3T3 cells. We found that tyrosine phosphorylation of p125FAK in response to these growth fac...

Bombesin and cholecystokinin (CCK) peptides act as signalling molecules in both the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract [1-4]. It was reported recently that nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) releases Ca2+ from mammalian brain microsomes [5] and triggers Ca2+ signals in pancreatic acinar cells, where it is proposed to mediate CCK-evoked Ca2+ signals [6]. Here, f...

Expression of a transforming Ha-ras gene in NIH 3T3 cells transfected with an inducible Ha-ras construct leads to a rapid desensitization of the intracellular Ca2(+)-mobilizing system to bombesin and serum growth factors. Half-maximal depression of the Ca2+ response is observed 2 h after induction of p21ras. A maximum is obtained after 6 h. Bombesin-induced elevation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosp...

  Introduction: Bombesin is a 14-aminoacid peptide isolated from frog skin. The mammalian counterparts of the frog peptide are neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP). Bombesin (BBN) is a peptide showing high affinity for the gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPr). Prostate, small cell lung cancer, breast, gastric, and colon cancers are known to over...