Relationship Between Scavenger Receptors and uPA:PAI-1 and uPA Receptors in Breast Cancer

Abstract

The overall goal of this research is to gather detailed information about the cellular distribution and activities of components of the uPA-system in relation to scavenger receptors and RAP in normal and breast cancer cells. We have especially noted a number of differences between the cell lines in either expression levels of these proteins or their localization during the first year of our funding. Scavenger receptors show higher expression levels in estrogen-insensitive compared to estrogen-sensitive and normal cells, whereas newly obtained results for localization of uPAR show that this receptor unlike other GPI-linked proteins was not found in caveolae. Immunocytochemical and immunochemical studies provided evidence that at least one scavenger receptor, LRP, is colocalized with uPAR at the cell surface in several cell types and that both receptors can be coprecipitated. We also obtained evidence that uPAR and uPA are taken up into the cell by endocytosis via clathrin-coated vesicles. We have documented several abnormalities in the very aggressive estrogen-insensitive breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231--i.e., they have a defect in recycling of LRP and they express a truncated form of uPAR incapable of binding uPA. The absence of the binding site for uPA may have significant impact in uPA cell surface activities and clearance in these cell and might contribute to the cancerous phenotype of these cells.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADB241037

Entities

People

  • Marilyn Farquhar
  • Ralf-peter Czekay

Organizations

  • University of California, San Diego

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Biomedical Research
  • Breast Cancer
  • Cancer
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane
  • Cell Membrane Structures
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Cellular Structures
  • Chemistry
  • Cultured Cells
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Materials
  • Membranes
  • Molecules
  • Tumor Cell Line

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Breast cancer cell signaling and growth regulation.
  • Oncology (Cancer Research).