Author/Editor     Drobnič-Košorok, M; Zrimšek, P; Juntes, P
Title     Endogenous proteinases and their protein inhibitors in normal and tumor cell
Type     članek
Source     In: Cestnik V, Pogačnik A, editors. Referati 6. Zavrnikovega spominskega sestanka; 1995 nov 9-11; Lipica. Ljubljana: Veterinarska fakulteta,
Publication year     1997
Volume     str. 39-42
Language     eng
Abstract     Proteinases are involved in various physiological regulatory mechanisms as well as in diverse pathological processes. Mainly they are synthesised as inactive precursor molecules which can be selectively activated to fulfil their biological function. The activity of the active proteinases can be regulated or even eliminated by their natural antagonists, proteinase inhibitors. Beside well understood functions of proteinases and their inhibitors in physiologic processes like blood coagulation, fibrinolysis or complement activation, a great interest has been focused on the involvement of proteinases in inflammatory processes, tumor progression and viral infections. It has been shown, that proteinases of serine, aspartic and metallo classes play an important role in tumor growth invasiveness and metastasis. However, many recent studies of malignant cells and tissue cultures have implicated cysteine proteinases, cathepsins B, H, L, in the progression of malignancy. The proteolytic activity of cysteine lysosomal proteinases, cathepsin B and L in human breast carcinoma is well known. In the normal cells cathepsins' activity is controlled by their endogenous inhibitors while in the malignant cells the elevated levels of both cathepsins B and L activity was measured. We tried to correlate the cathepsin proteolytic activity with the activity of the endogenous proteinase inhibitors in the same tumor tissue. Our recent studies indicated the elevated levels of cathepsin B activity in canine mammary gland tumors. The possibility of proteolytic as well as immunohistochemical detection of the cathepsin B suggests us the use of the results obtained, as a new additional diagnostic tool for studies of canine mammary gland tumors.
Descriptors     MAMMARY NEOPLASMS
PEPTIDE PEPTIDOHYDROLASES
CATHEPSIN B
DOGS