Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease which has frequently been implicated in the process of tumor cell invasion and metastasis. The degree of expression and mode(s) of regulation of the uPA gene in metastatic compared with nonmetastatic tumor cells have not yet been addressed. We have cloned and sequenced a full-length rat uPA complementary DNA and utilized Northern blot a...

We examined the effect of urokinase (uPA) and its fragments on vascular smooth muscle cell contraction. Single-chain uPA inhibits phenylepherine (PE) -induced contraction of rat aortic rings, whereas two-chain uPA exerts the opposite effect. Two independent epitopes mediating these opposing activities were identified. A6, a capped peptide corresponding to amino acids 136-143 (KPSSPPEE) of uPA, ...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)(-/-) mice cannot mount protective host defenses during infection with the opportunistic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans (52D). Because effective host defense against C. neoformans requires specific immune responses and the generation of type 1 (T1) cytokines, we determined how the absence of uPA impacts these processes. Wild-type (WT) and uPA(-/-) mice w...

Highly charged polyanionic ligands of the scavenger receptor trigger macrophage secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). In experiments reported here, we have investigated the intracellular and extracellular regulation of polyanion-induced macrophage plasminogen activation. Exposure of a macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) to either fucoidan or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) stimul...

AIM OF THE STUDY The purpose of the study was to monitor the effect of ulipristal acetate treatment on symptomatic uterine fibroids within 12-months follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty six patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids qualified for surgical treatment were included in the prospective observational study. All patients received preoperative oral UPA treatment for 3 months (1 × 5 ...

Spines are dendritic protrusions that receive most of the excitatory input in the brain. Early after the onset of cerebral ischemia dendritic spines in the peri-infarct cortex are replaced by areas of focal swelling, and their re-emergence from these varicosities is associated with neurological recovery after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine pr...

The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is linked to peptic ulcer and gastric cancer, but the relevant pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear. We now report that H. pylori stimulates the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), and its receptor (uPAR) in gastric epithelial cells and the consequences for epithelial cell prolife...

Hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is strongly up-regulated in prostate cancer. Hepsin overexpression in a mouse prostate cancer model resulted in tumor progression and metastasis, associated with basement membrane disorganization. We investigated whether hepsin enzymatic activity was linked to the basement membrane defects by examining its ability to initiate the plasminogen/plas...

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) play a key role in tumor-associated processes such as the degradation of extracellular matrix proteins, tissue remodeling, cell adhesion, migration, and invasion. High antigen levels of uPA and PAI-1 in tumor tissue of various solid malignant tumors, including breast cancer, are associate...

BACKGROUND Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a protease associated with tumor metastasis and invasion. Inhibitors of uPA may have potential as drugs for prostate, breast and other cancers. Therapeutically useful inhibitors must be selective for uPA and not appreciably inhibit the related, and structurally and functionally similar enzyme, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), invo...