Chromogranin A (CgA) is the major soluble protein in catecholamine storage vesicles. To gain insight into its function, we isolated CgA clones from a size-selected lambda gt10 rat pheochromocytoma complementary DNA (cDNA) library. The longest cDNA insert identified was 2.2 kb and encoded the entire 462-amino acid open reading frame of rat CgA including an 18-amino acid hydrophobic signal peptid...

A protein required for the activation of the lac operon has been extensively purified and partly characterized. This protein, called CGA protein (catabolite gene activator protein, sometimes named CAP), is a dimer with subunits of 22,000 daltons. Purified CGA protein has a substantial affinity for DNA; this affinity is greatly strengthened by cAMP and strongly inhibited by cGMP. Other studies h...

AIMS High chromogranin-A (CgA) levels were observed in patients with heart failure but its source remained uncertain. We evaluated whether CgA is produced by myocardium and might affect myocardial function. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured plasma CgA levels and performed immunohistochemistry with anti-CgA antibodies on myocardial biopsies in 40 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and 20...

CONTEXT Chromogranin A (CgA) is used as a generic tumor marker for neuroendocrine tumors. Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are known to increase CgA, but it is not clear to what extent, and there is little information on how long PPI need to be discontinued before the effect of PPI has disappeared. Furthermore, is it not known whether this PPI effect is dependent on the CgA assay used. OBJECTIVE ...

BACKGROUND Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are a group of rare tumors. Chromogranin A (CgA) was considered as the most practical and useful serum tumor marker in PNET patients. But peripheral blood levels of CgA are not routinely tested in Chinese patients with PNETs. This study was to assess the diagnostic value of CgA in Chinese patients with PNETs especially in patients with insulin...

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a process that consists of a multidimensional data-search and a process of analyzing and linking patient characteristics creating an individualized intervention-plan, carried out by a multidisciplinary team. In general, the positive health care effects of CGA are established, but in oncology both CGA and the presence of geriatric syndromes still have ...

Background: Tumour marker measurement gives clinicians useful information for the follow-up and management of patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). The currently used tumour markers for NETs are neuron-speci¢c enolase (NSE) and chromogranin A (CgA). The clinical accuracy of these biomarkers depends on histotype and disease extent. CgA is thought to be the optimal marker for most NETs, as...

We calculate phase diagrams of charged colloidal spheres (valency Z and radius a) in a 1:1 electrolyte from multicentered nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann theory. Our theory takes into account charge renormalization of the colloidal interactions and volume terms due to many-body effects. For valencies as small as Z = 1 and as large as 10(4) we find a gas-liquid spinodal instability in the colloid-sa...

The acidic protein chromogranin A (CgA) is the precursor of several regulatory peptides generated by specific proteolytic processes. Human recombinant CgA NH(2)-terminal fragment STA-CgA(1-78) (hrSTA-CgA(1-78)), containing vasostatin-1 (CgA(1-76)) domain, exerts a negative inotropic effect and counteracts the beta-adrenergic positive inotropic effect on the rat heart. We hypothesized an involve...

At equilibrium, colloidal particles in a subcritical liquid suspension are surrounded by a drying layer if the colloid has solvophobic interaction. Using Brownian dynamics computer simulations, we investigate the nonequilibrium response of this layer to a strong external driving force. We find that the driven colloidal particle dresses itself with more particles than in the equilibrium drying l...